As indicated by witnesses, the gunman abruptly stood up 20 minutes into the movie and began shooting.
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In the years leading up to the theater shooting on Thursday in Louisiana, suspected shooter John “Rusty” Houser was becoming more and more erratic.
He killed two women and injured nine other people before he turned the gun on himself. “You couldn’t hardly take a step without stepping on something”.
His family in Columbus, Georgia, described Houser as mentally ill and said his life had been unraveling for years.
As said by a Georgia judge’s order from 2008, Houser was committed to involuntary mental health treatment because he was deemed a clear danger to himself and the society. Houser lived in Phenix City at the time.
When Norman Bone went to see when Houser would be moving out of the home, Bone said Houser had a few choice words for him and slammed the door.
Kellie Houser said her long-gone husband called her as she left work on March 30 and asked for her address. A local TV host frequently invited him as a guest, knowing he’d be a lightning rod who could light up the phone lines with rants against abortion and working women.
What prompted Houser to kill people Thursday night remains unknown.
“The people who used it – the Nazis – they did what they damn well pleased”, Houser told the newspaper.
His escape route was disrupted by two police officers who happened to be in the area. Inside his motel room they found wigs, glasses and other disguises.
Before buying a ticket for the 7pm show, Houser parked his blue Lincoln Continental near the theater’s emergency exit. He stashed the keys atop one of its wheels. Seven years ago, police said, relatives filed a restraining order against him due to his opposition of his daughter’s forthcoming wedding. The situation was so hard to comprehend that people didn’t scream.
One afternoon, the man said he walked up on Houser discussing politics with construction workers at the pool.
“It was a odd”.
“Ten rounds went off, when I realized”, she said. “In that moment, you don’t think about anything”.
Jeanerette High School English teacher Ali Martin and librarian Jena Meaux were credited with helping save lives amid the chaos. St. Germain said Breaux was excited about becoming a radiologist and her future with her boyfriend of several years. Johnson ran boutiques, played ukulele in a band and planted fruit trees for the homeless.
Across Lafayette, there’s been an outpouring of love for the victims with people leaving them flowers and business signs calling on people to remember the victims.
About a dozen law enforcement personnel descended on the Motel 6 in Lafayette where Houser had been staying.
“We know him to have been in other movie theaters across south Louisiana, probably Lake Charles, here in Lafayette and in Baton Rouge”, said Michael Edmonson, Louisiana State Police Superintendent.
“She just did the things she wanted to do, and nothing could stop her”, said Fontenot, 37. Three patients had been stabilized, including one who remained in intensive care.
In 2007, he was denied a concealed-carry permit as a result of a domestic violence complaint and a prior arson arrest.
“Just real shallow”, he said of the conversation. “Then he became your sworn enemy”, Hardin said.
Police said Mayci Breaux, 21, died in the theater.
Police say 58-year-old John Houser, of Phenix City, Alabama, opened fire during a showing of “Trainwreck” at the Grand 16 Theatre on Johnston Street Thursday night.
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“Something started changing with him”, he added, saying the finality of his brother’s divorce and a recent home foreclosure “probably snapped him, in my opinion”.
