In an unfortunate weekend, The United States experienced two separate mass shootings within 13 hours of each other. First in El Paso, Texas, and again in Dayton, Ohio. Here are the details.
To preface all this, the shooter’s names will not be listed. They will not be given that honor. Any and all information presented will be factual with solid evidence to back this up. Anything lacking evidence or general speculation will be prefaced as such.
The El Paso Shooting
On the morning of August 3, 2019, a lone shooter approached a Walmart in El Paso, Texas. The shooter opened fire on people in the parking lot and then entered the building and continued fire. They used a WASR-10, the civilian equivalent to an AK-47. A total of 22 people died and 24 more were injured. The shooter was arrested and is being charged with capital murder.
The police were able to confirm that the firearm used was purchased by the shooter legally.
One noteworthy aspect of this event was a manifesto. The police have stated with a certain confidence that a post on the internet forum 8chan was written by the shooter and posted 27 minutes before the shooting began. The manifesto promoted white nationalism, anti-immigration, and cites the Christ church mosque shooting as inspiration. The post has since been deleted by 8chan moderators. According to law enforcement officers interviewed by ABC News, the shooter told investigators that they were specifically targeting Mexicans.
Dayton Shooting
At 1:05 AM, August 4, a mass shooting occurred in Dayton, Ohio. The event resulted in 10 deaths (including the shooter) and 14 injuries. It took place at the entrance to the Ned Peppers Bar, using an AM-15 (the Anderson Manufacturing equivalent to an AR-15) in a pistol configuration. The firearm was purchased online. Police responded to the event within 20 seconds of shooting, where they shot and killed the attacker 10 seconds later. It is confirmed that the shooter’s sister is among the fallen.
Preliminary searching of the shooter’s home found writings that expressed an interest in killing, but there were no direct connections between the attack and any political motivations. Later reports confirmed that the shooter was recently suspended from their High School for composing a list of people they would like to kill and a list they would like to rape. Others corroborated the story, describing the shooter as extremely misogynistic.
The Political Narratives
As is the nature of modern media, political narrative is being pressed using both true and false information about the shooters. The El Paso shooter and their Manifesto presented an alt-right political leaning, with their motives and goals being considered extremism. They are also being associated as part of the Trump supporter following. It is being used as a showcase of the hostile nature towards other races.
The Dayton shooter goes in the other direction. A report by Heavy had confirmed the shooter’s Twitter account, which promoted hard-left politics, while also expressing interest in the church of satan and heavy metal music.
It’s common to see the alt-right be accused of being the motivating factor toward the increase in mass shootings the US has seen these last few years. The Dayton shooter is used as an example against this, while the El Paso shooter is used as proof of the connection.
What we know for certain is that the El Paso shooter directly expressed their motivations, that in regards to immigrants, while the Dayton shooter did not express a clear motivation for their attack. If I had to guess, the attack was directed at the sister, due to the reported sexism they displayed. But I have no proof of such claims.
Think For Yourselves
Be careful out there preppers. There are a lot of websites and news platforms that are looking to spread the bad word as long as it promoted their own opinions. It’s important we see the difference between the truth and the propaganda.
Of course, our deepest condolences go out to everyone affected by these shootings. Those folks were doing nothing more than minding their own business, but it cost them their life. Death is an awful thing.