The family of Connor Betts, the 24-year-old suspect in the shooting deaths of nine people in Dayton, Ohio on Sunday, is offering “heartfelt prayers” to victims after the incident that unfolded in the city’s Oregon District.
The family is also mourning the loss of their son, who was killed in a shootout with police, and that of his 22-year-old sister Megan, who died in the shooting.
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In a statement that was read out by police in the neighbouring community of Bellbrook, the Betts family offered its most “heartfelt prayers and condolences to all the victims, their families and friends.”
The family said they’re cooperating with law enforcement and the investigation of the shooting.
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“They respect the investigative process being conducted by the Dayton Police Department and the FBI, and will not comment further on this investigation,” the statement said.
The Betts family went on to say they’re still mourning the loss of Connor and Megan, and asked for privacy as they “process the horror of Sunday’s events.”
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The picture of a troubled man has emerged in the days following the shooting.
Former classmates said he was twice suspended from Bellbrook High School after he compiled a “hit list” and “rape list.”
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“He was kind of hateful to women because they didn’t want to date him,” Mika Carpenter, a friend who met Betts at summer camp, told The New York Times.
Betts opened up to her about his dark thoughts, she added.
“I remember specifically him talking about being scared of the thoughts that he had, being scared that he had violent thoughts,” Carpenter said.
“He knew it wasn’t normal.”
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Betts wrestled with thoughts of violence and suicide, and even put gun in his mouth, said Adelia Johnson, who dated him for some months this year.
“I have no idea what his motivation was. I will never know,” she said in a 2,200-word account she sent to reporters.
“There wasn’t a hate crime. He fought for equality. This wasn’t a crime of passion. He didn’t get passionate enough. This wasn’t very premeditated. He wasn’t a thorough planner.”
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On their first date, Betts showed Johnson a video of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting and narrated it for her, play-by-play style, Johnson said.
He told her that he had bipolar disorder and that he may have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
He loved guns but he also didn’t think people who were mentally ill should be permitted to own them, she said.
— With files from The Associated Press