El Paso and Dayton Strong
A feeling of emptiness and loss of hope settles over the country as most Americans return back to their regular life this Monday following the events we have grown too accustomed to this past weekend. The aftermath of two unlinked mass shootings within 24 hours serves as a shocking reality for many still refusing to see the impact of rampant hatred in the Land of the Free.
The atrocities that took place on August 3rd and 4th in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio, respectively, resulted in 29 premature deaths and dozens more injured at the hands of a gunman. In reaction to the massacres, President Donald Trump has been seen giving various speeches, press conferences, interviews, and announcing his views on Twitter.
His attempts at properly identifying the source of these problems were in vain, however, as his prepared speeches offered different condemnation than his personal Twitter. His speech in the Diplomatic Reception Room faulted “racism, bigotry, and white supremacy” while his Tweets called for “strong background checks, perhaps marrying this legislation with desperately needed immigration reform.”
The disconnect illustrates a clear difference in opinions held by the President and his cabinet. Patrick Crusius, 21-year-old white male has been identified as the gunman responsible for 20 deaths and dozens of more injuries at an El Paso, Texas Walmart.
The location of the specific store is about 5 miles away from a US security border checkpoint. There is a suspicion that an anti-immigration manifesto could be the works of Crusius, which would illustrate his motive.
Connor Betts, a 24-year-old white male was identified at the scene of the crime by responding officers as the gunman in Dayton, Ohio. In less than a minute he was able to take the lives of 9 people, including his own sister, and injuring 27.
His motives have not been released, though his history of a hit-list made in high school has come into question. The two separate shootings add to the monstrous mass shooting earlier in the week at a garlic festival in California, totaling in three shootings in one week.