Of the nine people injured, hospital officials say five are still in the hospital and are expected to survive. Police said they did not know why the suspect launched the attack.
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Heath Taylor, sheriff of Russell County, said Houser returned to the house and vandalized it by pouring concrete down the plumbing and tampering with the natural gas lines, including the one that ran to a fireplace inside.
In 2006, Sheriff Taylor denied Houser’s request for a concealed carry permit because of his history.
“At one point, Houser’s now ex-wife was so anxious about what he might do that she removed all weapons from their home and told authorities that he should not have a gun”.
Craft said Houser bought the weapon legally at a pawnshop in Phenix City, Alabama, last year, and that he had visited the theater more than once, perhaps to determine “whether there was anything that could be a soft target for him”. Searches of his hotel room and vehicle turned up wigs, glasses and other apparent disguises.
Before purchasing a ticket for the 7 p.m. show, Houser parked his blue Lincoln Continental near the theatre’s emergency exit in what police said appeared to be preparations for a quick getaway.
About 100 people were inside the theater for a screening of the comedy, “Trainwreck”, when the Houser began shooting.
“We are in shock and mourning over the loss of one of our own”, LSU said. He said there was no known connection between the gunman and any of the victims. Eleven people were shot and two women died.
The two fatalities were identified as 33-year-old Jillian Johnson and 21-year-old Mayci Breaux.
Meanwhile, at least one of the wounded from the shooting is in critical condition, while three others are listed as stable.
Witnesses said Houser stood at the back of the auditorium, which had steeply pitched, stadium-style seating, and fired down at others.
Mann saw Houser fire off a number of shots before she dropped to the floor and fled the theater. “She said he has made the statements that this wedding will not happen, although he has not overtly threatened anyone”, the report says. “People were screaming”. The situation was so hard to comprehend that people didn’t scream.
Clark grabbed her 5-year-old daughter and ran, she said, leaving her purse and phone on the concession stand counter.
He might have been drinking, Craft said, but there’s no evidence of drug use. “Still have to do the things you need to do”. “I’m happy to talk about this, we’re happy to talk about politics, but not here”, he said.
“She was the kind of person you want in your program”, McLaughlin said. “Please allow our family some privacy at this time”.
Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal, who travelled to the scene within hours of the shooting, said: “Her friend literally jumped over her and, by her account, actually saved her life”. Craft said the shooter was watching the film by himself, and the first two people he shot were sitting near him.
Investigators recovered Houser’s journals, were studying his online postings and trying to reconstruct his movements to identify a motive and provide what Louisiana State Police.
“We have very little information this far, and that’s why we are asking for the public’s help, anybody who may have had interaction with him”, Craft said.
In 1989, another judge had ordered a psychiatric evaluation for Houser after he was arrested for allegedly trying to kill a lawyer by hiring an arsonist to torch his office, according to court records.
In 2008, his wife Kellie Maddox Houser had been so afraid of his mental state that she hid his guns and his family had him hospitalised.
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He was educated in accounting and law, and owned bars in Georgia – including one where he flew a Nazi banner out front as an anti-government statement. Most recently, he worked in Phenix City as a real estate developer for eight months in 2006. “Then he became your sworn enemy”, Hardin said.
