LAFAYETTE: John Russell Houser, 59, identified as the suspected lone gunman in the Lafayette, Louisiana movie theater shooting, had a history of domestic violence and mental illness.
US officials are blaming budget cuts for mental health services for his violent act.
Less than 24 hours after police say Houser opened fire during a showing of ‘Trainwreck’ before committing suicide in the movie theater on Thursday night, a picture of the gunman’s life is starting to emerge.
Two women in the theater were killed and nine were injured. Craig said four of the wounded have been released from hospitals. Of the five still hospitalized, four are in stable condition and one is critical, he said.
The gun Houser used, a Highpoint .40 caliber semiautomatic pistol, was legally purchased in February 2014 from a pawn shop in Phenix City, Alabama, Craig said, citing the the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Police are researching Houser’s movements and reading his journals and his online political blogs, in which he railed against government.
There’s no indication he had an accomplice.
The shooting occurred just a week after James Holmes was convicted for the massacre during a screening of “The Dark Knight Rises” in Aurora, Colo., in July 2012.
