Motive unclear as US theatre shooting kills 2

LAFAYETTE, LA:

A jobless 59-year-old man whose estranged family feared him was identified by authorities on Friday as the gunman who fatally shot two people in a rampage at crowded movie theatre in central Louisiana before turning the gun on himself as police closed in.

The suspected gunman, John R Houser, who police described as a drifter from Alabama, opened fire with a .40 caliber handgun about 20 minutes into the film ‘Trainwreck’, sending panicked theatergoers ducking behind seats and running for the exits.

“This is a normal movie theatre in a normal part of a normal town. This is Anywhere, USA,” said Republican Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, who went to the crime scene in Lafayette to meet with law enforcement and victims. “This just shows these senseless acts of violence can literally happen anywhere.”

Before purchasing a ticket for the 7 pm show, Houser parked his blue Lincoln Continental, having switched its licence plates, near the theater’s exit and stashed a set of keys on the tyre in what police said appeared to be preparations for a quick getaway. Disguises including wigs and glasses were later uncovered in his motel room. “It is apparent that he was intent on shooting and escaping,” Lafayette Police Chief Jim Craft said.

Houser never made it back to his car, instead shooting himself as police swarmed the Grand 16 Theatre. Police said they did not know why the suspect launched the attack.

“Certainly it exists out there that we may not find a motive but that’s not our goal right now,” Colonel Mike Edmonson of the Louisiana State Police told reporters.

Witness Katie Domingue told the local Advertiser newspaper that the gunman was an older white man who stood up in the theatre and began shooting. “He wasn’t saying anything. I didn’t hear anybody screaming either,” Domingue said.

Keifer Sanders told CNN that some 100 people were in the theatre when the gunman opened fire.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 25^th, 2015.