india

Updated: Aug 04, 2019 23:50 IST

Two mass shootings in the US — one at a Walmart in El Paso and another outside a bar in Ohio — in a matter of hours have again triggered a debate in a nation torn over how to tackle rampant gun violence.

20 killed as gunman attacks Texas shoppers

A gunman armed with a rifle opened fire in an El Paso shopping area packed with as many as 3,000 people during the busy back-to-school season, leaving 20 dead and more than two dozen injured, police said. Authorities are investigating the possibility it was a hate crime, working to confirm whether a racist, anti-immigrant screed posted online shortly beforehand was written by the suspect.

Suspect caught

The suspect, 21-year-old white male Patrick Crusius, surrendered to police as officers closed in on him, and he was arrested without incident. Security footage from the shop showed a young man wearing eyeglasses, khaki trousers and a dark T-shirt, wielding an assault rifle.

80% Latino town

El Paso is more than 80% Latino, according to the latest census data, and the city, where the mayor said tens of thousands of Mexicans legally cross the border each day to work and shop, has become a focal point of the immigration debate.

Manifesto calls for a response to ‘Hispanic invasion’

Nexus to a hate crime: Police said they were examining a manifesto from the suspect indicating “there is a potential nexus to a hate crime.” The apparent manifesto posted on 8chan, an online message board, called the attack “a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas.” It says “race mixing” is destroying the US and recommends dividing the nation into enclaves determined by race.

Hailing Christchurch shooting: It also expressed for support for the gunman who killed 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in March

9 killed in Ohio shooting

A gunman dressed in body armour opened fire in Dayton, Ohio, early on Sunday, killing nine people and wounding at least 26 others, authorities said. Police officers who were on routine patrol nearby arrived on the scene in less than a minute and shot the attacker dead, likely preventing a much higher casualty toll

Motive unclear

The motive behind the shooting was not immediately clear, and investigators believe the individual had acted alone, Carper said. The authorities did not disclose the shooter’s identity.

Armoured and armed

Officials said the suspect was wearing body armour and was armed with a rifle firing .223-caliber rounds with high-capacity magazines. Had police officers not confronted the suspect, “hundreds of people in the Oregon District could be dead today,” the city’s mayor said