- There have been two mass shootings in the US over the weekend – one in El Paso, Texas, and one in Dayton, Ohio.
- They occurred less than 24 hours apart. It’s also just a few days after a gunman killed three people at a garlic festival in California.
- In Ohio, police say nine people were killed, plus the shooter, and a further 27 were injured.
- In Texas, 20 were killed and at least 26 were injured.
- Here’s what we know so far.
- Visit INSIDER’s homepage for more stories.
Two mass shootings left at least 29 dead in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas on Sunday and Saturday. The shootings occurred less than 24 hours apart.
In Ohio on Sunday, reports of the shooting began at around 1AM in the Oregon entertainment district of Dayton. Police say nine were killed, plus the shooter, and 26 were injured, according to The Wall Street Journal.
In El Paso, Texas Saturday, 20 were killed and at least 26 were injured. The suspected shooter was arrested.
The shootings were the 31st and 32nd mass shootings in the US in 2019, according to The New York Times, which defines a mass shooting as a single shooting incident that kills three or more people.
Here's what we know so far.
A shooter opened fire in El Paso, Texas, on Saturday.
The suspect was a 21-year-old white man.
Twenty people were killed, and 26 others were injured.
Read more: 20 people killed, 26 injured in a mass shooting at an El Paso Walmart, Texas officials say
3 Mexican nationals were killed and 6 were wounded. Investigators are currently looking into a manifesto the suspect may have written, which details anti-immigrant beliefs and fears that Hispanic people will turn Texas into a "Democrat stronghold."
Read more: 3 Mexican nationals were killed and 6 were wounded in the El Paso shooting, Mexican officials say
The suspect appears to have posted about his rampage on 8chan's /pol imageboard - a place on the internet that continues to radicalize mass shooters, such as Brenton Tarrant who live-streamed the massacre he inflicted in Christchurch.
There's an obsession with "high scores," meaning more points for a larger body count.
An off-duty soldier was present at the scene. He told media outlets he grabbed children and carried them to safety during the shooting.
"I'm in the military, so when I hear the gunshots we're trained to think fast," he said. "Grab your weapon, think fast, take cover, do anything you can."
Beto O'Rourke gave a speech where he was visibly shaken on Saturday. He said he would return to his hometown of El Paso and announced he was cutting his campaign trail short.
"I'm thinking about El Paso, I want you to be thinking about El Paso as well," he said. "There is no luxury in this democracy of sitting this one out, whether it is gun violence, whether it is many of the issues we discuss today ... It is on every single one of us to make this right."
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders said people all over the world were looking at the US and wondering what's going on.
"What is the mental health situation in America, where time after time, after time, after time, we're seeing indescribable horror?" he said.
Former Vice President Joe Biden said "enough is enough," and the mass shootings in the US are "a sickness."
"This is beyond anything that we should be tolerating," he said. "We can beat the NRA. We can beat the gun manufacturers."
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren tweeted: "Far too many communities have suffered through tragedies like this already. We must act now to end our country's gun violence epidemic."
President Trump called the tragedy a "terrible shooting" and promised "total support of [the] Federal Government."
"Today's shooting in ElPaso, Texas, was not only tragic, it was an act of cowardice," he tweeted. "I know that I stand with everyone in this Country to condemn today's hateful act. There are no reasons or excuses that will ever justify killing innocent people."
Terrible shootings in ElPaso, Texas. Reports are very bad, many killed. Working with State and Local authorities, and Law Enforcement. Spoke to Governor to pledge total support of Federal Government. God be with you all!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 3, 2019
Another mass shooting happened less than 24 hours later in Dayton, Ohio.
Police responded to another mass shooting in the US less than 24 hours later, in Dayton, Ohio.
The shooting occurred in the city's nightlife center, the Oregon District. Police said in a press conference Sunday afternoon that the suspect parked a vehicle, shot his first victim in an alley, then went onto the street and shot eight more people before officers engaged him outside the Ned Peppers Bar on East Fifth Street.
The shooter was killed by police at the scene, where there were 9 killed and 27 wounded. 16 people were reportedly transported to the hospital - 12 were released, four were hospitalized, and one person remains in critical condition, according to hospital officials.
The first reports came in about 1 a.m local time. There are some eyewitness accounts that report the shooter was denied entry into the bar before opening fire.
Police later confirmed the suspect as Connor Betts, a 24-year-old from Bellbrook, Ohio. Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley also said Dayton police officers "neutralized" Betts in less than a minute.
Authorities said Betts used a .223-caliber high-capacity magazine rifle and was wearing a mask, bullet proof vest, and hearing protection.
Police said in the Sunday press conference there is no evidence at this time that this was motivated by bias but the investigation is ongoing and they are seeking witnesses.
Read more: Police are responding to reports of 'an active shooter incident' in Dayton, Ohio
A post on the bar's Instagram page stated everyone was safe and their "hearts go out to everyone involved."
Pope Francis has offered his prayers for the dead and the injured in the mass shootings that occurred this week.
"I am spiritually close to the victims of the episodes of violence that have bloodied Texas, California, and Ohio, in the United States, striking defenseless people," he said.
He urged everyone "to join my prayer for the people who lost their lives, the injured and their family members."
Just a few days ago, on July 28, a gunman killed three people at a garlic festival in California, before being shot dead himself. Seven other mass shootings happened in the US over that weekend.
Read more: Pope prays for victims of 3 US mass shootings in a week
