2015 Lafayette shooting

Last updated

2015 Lafayette shooting
The Grand 16 Theatre Lafayette Louisiana 2019.jpg
The Grand 16 Theatre
Location3141 Johnston Street, Lafayette, Louisiana, U.S.
Coordinates 30°12′07″N92°02′45″W / 30.20199°N 92.04584°W / 30.20199; -92.04584
DateJuly 23, 2015;8 years ago (2015-07-23)
7:27 p.m. (CDT)
Attack type
Mass shooting, murder–suicide
Weapons Hi-Point Model JCP .40-caliber handgun [1]
Deaths3 (including the perpetrator) [2]
Injured9 [2]
PerpetratorJohn Russell Houser
MotiveDisgruntled

On July 23, 2015, a mass shooting occurred at the Grand 16 movie theater in Lafayette, Louisiana, United States. [3] John Russell Houser, [4] [5] 59, opened fire during a showing of the film Trainwreck , killing two people and injuring nine others before committing suicide. [6] [7] [8]

Contents

Shooting

The shooting occurred in theater 14 [9] during the 7:10 p.m. screening of Trainwreck , held at the Grand 16 movie theater in Lafayette. [10] [11] John Russell Houser, 59, went to the theater alone, bought a ticket ten minutes late into the movie, [12] and sat for several minutes in the theater's second-to-last row. Along with Houser, [13] there were 25 people in the theater and 300 people in the building. [14] [15] [10] He was armed with a Hi-Point Model JCP .40-caliber handgun [1] and equipped with two 10-round magazines. Shortly before 7:30 p.m., Houser stood up, pulled out the handgun from his pants, and started shooting indiscriminately while walking down the steps. He fired at least 13 rounds and reloaded once. He killed two people and injured nine others. [16] [17] [18] [19]

The first two people Houser shot were sitting directly in front of him. [14] The shooting was contained to one theater. [20] After the shooting ended, Houser exited the theater through a side door and apparently tried to head for his vehicle while blending in with survivors. However, upon noticing police sirens, he retreated back inside the building and fired three more shots at fleeing moviegoers before committing suicide. [13] [19] [21] [22] [23]

Four officers responded to the scene in less than a minute after receiving a 7:28 p.m. report of the shooting. After witnessing audiences fleeing and hearing gunshots, they made their way into the auditorium. Upon entering the theater, two-and-a-half minutes after arrival, [24] they found Houser dead; he had fatally shot himself in the mouth. [14] [25] [26] His body remained inside the theater for several hours. [27] After the shooting, it was discovered that he had a blood alcohol level of 0.1, while the legal limit to drive is 0.08. [28]

Following the shooting, the other local Grand Theatre was also closed, while the entire area was locked down [18] [29] as law enforcement officials searched for additional shooters. [24]

Victims

Two women were killed by Houser in the shooting. One died at the scene, while the other died at a nearby hospital. [27] They are: [10] [20] [26] [30]

The injuries of the survivors ranged from light to critical and were inflicted either from gunshots and/or during accidents while fleeing. The victims' ages ranged from the late teens to their 60s. [20] Among the injured were the cousin of Louisiana Representative Charles Boustany and her husband. [31] Egedahl, the last victim discharged, left Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center on August 14. [30] One victim was shot four times. [1]

Investigation

The Louisiana State Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Lafayette Parish Sheriff, and Lafayette Police Department police participated in the investigation. Police believe the shooter acted alone, but have not confirmed a motive. [18] [29] [32] [33]

Upon investigation, officials found that Houser had been staying in a nearby motel, part of the Motel 6 chain, and discovered wigs, glasses, and disguises. [34] This led officials to believe that he intended on escaping before being cornered by police, leading to his suicide. [35] Furthermore, he illegally switched his license plates near an exit door to the theater, and in his motel room. [14]

On late Thursday night, the police investigated Houser's car, a blue 1995 Lincoln Continental, and found two suspicious objects with wires inside. Fearing that the items might be an explosive, the police halted the investigation. On the morning of July 24, they called the bomb squad, who blew up its windows and trunk. Similarly, investigators found three objects in the theater that they feared could be explosives and had them examined with a robot. An apartment complex behind the theater was evacuated as a precaution. The objects in the theater and in the car all turned out not to be dangerous. [14] [24] A search of the car later turned up more disguises. [34]

Investigators recovered a 39-page journal belonging to Houser, which contained the name of the theater and the time and date of the screening of Trainwreck , along with random notes and observations. [34] [36] However, the journal did not provide a clear motive behind the shooting. [16] Investigators were also studying posts he made online to determine a motive for the shooting. [13] They finished processing the crime scene at the theater on July 27. [37]

Questions were raised about how Houser was able to obtain the gun used in the shooting. It was initially reported that he had been involuntarily committed for mental health treatment in 2008, which would have legally prohibited him from purchasing firearms. However, it was later determined that he was able to purchase the gun because a judge never committed him and instead had him undergo a mental health evaluation. Once the evaluation was done, medical authorities either had to release him, convince him to commit himself voluntarily for treatment, or petition a court to force him to undergo treatment. They never petitioned the court, but it was unclear if Houser was released or voluntarily committed. His 2008 evaluation was never officially reported to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. [38] [39]

The Grand 16 theater was shut down after the shooting. It reopened four months later on November 19, after a ceremony honoring the victims. [40]

On January 13, 2016, police released a 589-page report of the shooting and photos of Houser's motel room. [36]

Perpetrator

John Russell Houser (November 22, 1955 – July 23, 2015) had a history of anti-government and far-right views, including those on race, gender, and the future of the U.S. [41] [42]

Personal life

The perpetrator, who had been estranged from his family, was described as a wayfarer and a drifter. [43] According to law enforcement, he was raised in Columbus, Georgia, and graduated from Columbus High School and Columbus Technical College. According to an online LinkedIn account belonging to him, he also attended Columbus State University and Faulkner University. [19] He owned a number of bars in Georgia. [13] He once attended law school but dropped out. [19] His last recorded residence was in Phenix City, Alabama, where he purchased his firearm at the Money Miser Northside Pawn shop in February 2014. [19] [39] [44] In 2006, he tried to get a concealed carry permit, but he was denied it due to his arson arrest and domestic violence complaint. [21] [45]

Mental health problems

Houser was said to have mental health issues, [46] for which he was treated in 2008 and 2009. [21] In 2008, he underwent a mental health evaluation. [39] According to his wife, he suffered from bipolar disorder. [13]

He also had some previous arrest and complaint records including arson, domestic violence, stalking, and selling alcohol to a minor, although these records were at least a decade old. In 2008, his wife and daughter, along with his daughter's then-fiancé and his parents, issued a protective order against him during his mental health evaluation. [39] The order cited his violent and erratic behavior and reasoned that he had tried to stop his daughter and her fiancé from marrying. Houser's wife also hid his guns away from him for protection. After the order was issued, his family members apparently ceased contact with him. [38] [45]

In 2014, when faced with the threat of eviction from his home in Alabama, Houser booby-trapped the house by twisting out and igniting the gas starter tube in the fireplace, after removing the logs, in an attempt to make the house catch on fire. [47] In March 2015, a week after his wife filed for divorce, Houser called her and threatened her, then went to a retirement community where his mother lived. There, he threatened to commit suicide outside if she didn't give him money. The mother called his wife and was urged by her to have him hospitalized. Instead, she gave him $5,000. [10] [48] [49]

Prior to the shooting

Houser is said to have entered Louisiana around July 2 or 3 and spent his time exploring the state along Interstate 10, apparently searching for a location to attack. [23] [50] During the week of July 13, he visited a food bank in Lake Charles twice and requested aid from them. [51] He had been at the Grand 16 theater at least once before, [19] and had also visited several other movie theaters in the state. [52] According to witnesses at one theater, he was dressed up to look like a woman and was behaving erratically. [50] He also appeared to have made some getaway plans. [19] [44]

Houser's only known connection to Lafayette was an uncle who once lived there, but died in 1980. [1] [14] It was believed by investigators that he was traveling to Texas and Lafayette was simply a stopping point. [16]

On July 27, The Hollywood Reporter reported that investigators believed he chose to commit the shooting in a theater playing Trainwreck due to its feminist themes and characters, as well as its lead actress's Jewish background. He was said to have been a misogynist and praised the actions of Adolf Hitler on online message boards. [53] An investigation by the SPLC into the shooter's social media posts revealed that he was a supporter of the Greek far-right political party Golden Dawn, former Klansman David Duke, the Westboro Baptist Church, antisemitism, the aforementioned Adolf Hitler and Timothy McVeigh as well as asking on an online forum where he could join white power groups. [54] Additionally, he praised the Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof and stated that he was "green but good" and "But thanks for the wake up call Dylann" as well as expressing homophobic, misogynistic, and racist anti-black sentiments in his journal. [55] [56]

Responses to the shooting

Political response

Theater and film response

Amy Schumer, who wrote and starred in the film being shown as the shooting occurred, posted on her Twitter account, "My heart is broken and all my thoughts and prayers are with everyone in Louisiana." [61] She later joined U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, a cousin of her father's, in calling for stricter gun control and increased mental health funding. [62] [63] Schumer expanded on the shooting and her views on gun control in her autobiography The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo , where she talked about the two murder victims at length; she referred to the gunman's personal views and issues without referring to him by name.[ pages needed ]

Universal Studios, the film's distributor, also released a statement, saying, "All of us at Universal Pictures send our heartfelt sympathies to the victims of this senseless tragedy and their families in Louisiana." [64]

The theater and its parent company, the Southern Theatres, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Security was increased at the other Grand movie theater in Kenner, Louisiana, and at the Esplanade Mall in Kenner. [17] [65] They later issued a statement, in which they said, "All of us offer our thoughts and prayers to the victims and the community of Lafayette. We are grateful to all local officials and to the governor for their efforts." [64]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mass shooting</span> Incident involving multiple victims of firearm violence

A mass shooting is a violent crime in which one or more attackers kill or injure multiple individuals simultaneously using a firearm. There is no widely accepted definition of "mass shooting" and different organizations tracking such incidents use different definitions. Definitions of mass shootings exclude warfare and sometimes exclude instances of gang violence, armed robberies, familicides and terrorism. The perpetrator of an ongoing mass shooting may be referred to as an active shooter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Aurora theater shooting</span> Mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado, US

On July 20, 2012, a mass shooting occurred inside a Century 16 movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, United States, during a midnight screening of the film The Dark Knight Rises. Dressed in tactical clothing, 24-year-old James Eagan Holmes set off tear gas grenades and shot into the audience with multiple firearms. Twelve people were killed, and 70 others were injured, 58 of them from gunfire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Holmes (mass murderer)</span> American mass murderer

James Eagan Holmes is an American mass murderer responsible for the 2012 Aurora theater shooting in which he killed 12 people and injured 70 others at a Century 16 movie theater on July 20, 2012. He had no known criminal background before the shooting occurred. Before the shooting, Holmes booby-trapped his apartment with explosives, which were defused one day later by a bomb squad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Santa Monica shootings</span> Shooting spree in Santa Monica, California, US

On June 7, 2013, a spree shooting occurred in Santa Monica, California. Its catalyst was a domestic dispute and subsequent fire at a home, followed by a series of shootings near and on the Santa Monica College campus. Six people were killed, including the suspect, and four injured. The shooter — 23-year-old John Zawahri — was killed by police officers when he exchanged gunfire with them at the Santa Monica College library.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington Navy Yard shooting</span> Mass shooting in Washington, D.C.

The Washington Navy Yard shooting occurred on September 16, 2013, when 34-year-old Aaron Alexis fatally shot 12 people and injured three others in a mass shooting at the headquarters of the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) inside the Washington Navy Yard in southeast Washington, D.C. The attack took place in the Navy Yard's Building 197; it began around 8:16 a.m. EDT and ended when police killed Alexis around 9:25 a.m. It is the deadliest mass shooting in Washington, D.C. history, as well as the second deadliest mass murder on a U.S. military base, behind the 2009 Fort Hood shooting.

<i>Trainwreck</i> (film) 2015 film by Judd Apatow

Trainwreck is a 2015 American romantic sex comedy film directed and co-produced by Judd Apatow and written by and starring Amy Schumer along with an ensemble supporting cast that includes Bill Hader, Brie Larson, Colin Quinn, John Cena, Vanessa Bayer, Tilda Swinton, Ezra Miller, Mike Birbiglia, Norman Lloyd, and NBA legend LeBron James. The film is about a hard-drinking, promiscuous, free-spirited young magazine writer named Amy Townsend (Schumer) who has her first serious relationship with a prominent orthopedic surgeon named Aaron Conners (Hader). The film received positive reviews from critics, praising the performances of Schumer, Hader, James, and the screenplay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 shooting of Baton Rouge police officers</span> Mass shooting in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

On July 17, 2016, Gavin Eugene Long shot six police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in an ambush attack, in the wake of the shooting of Alton Sterling. Four died, including one who was critically wounded and died from complications in 2022, and two others were hospitalized; of the officers who initially died, two were members of the Baton Rouge Police Department, while the third worked for the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office. Long, who associated himself with organizations linked to black separatism and the sovereign citizen movement, was shot and killed by a SWAT officer during a shootout with police at the scene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Munich shooting</span> Mass shooting in Munich, Germany

On 22 July 2016, a mass shooting occurred in the vicinity of the Olympia shopping mall in the Moosach district of Munich, Germany. An 18-year-old Iranian-German, David Sonboly, opened fire on fellow teenagers at a McDonald's restaurant before shooting at bystanders in the street outside and then in the mall itself. Nine people were killed, and 36 others were injured, four of them by gunfire. Sonboly then hid nearby for more than two hours, and killed himself by a self-inflicted gunshot wound when confronted by police.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cascade Mall shooting</span> Mass shooting in Burlington, Washington

On September 23, 2016, a mass shooting occurred at Cascade Mall in Burlington, Washington, U.S. Five people were killed in the incident. The gunman was identified as Arcan Cetin, a 20-year-old who emigrated from Turkey as a child with his family. He was arrested the following day in Oak Harbor, Washington, his hometown. On September 26, he confessed to committing the shooting. On April 16, 2017, Cetin killed himself via hanging in his jail cell.

On January 6, 2017, a mass shooting occurred at Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport in Broward County, Florida, United States, near the baggage claim in Terminal 2. Five people were killed while six others were injured in the shooting. About 36 people sustained injuries in the ensuing panic. Esteban Santiago-Ruiz, who flew in to the airport from Alaska and committed the shooting with a Walther PPS 9mm semi-automatic pistol, was taken into custody by a Broward County Sheriff's Office (BSO) deputy within 85 seconds after he started shooting. The shooting from start to finish lasted 70–80 seconds. Santiago was later diagnosed with schizophrenia and pleaded guilty to avoid possible execution. On August 17, 2018, Santiago was sentenced to five consecutive life sentences plus 120 years in prison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morumbi Shopping shooting</span>

On November 3, 1999, a mass murder occurred inside a movie theater room at the Morumbi shopping mall in São Paulo, Brazil. The perpetrator, Mateus da Costa Meira, then a 24-year-old medical student, killed three people who were in the room and injured other four.

The 2018 Toronto shooting, known locally as the Danforth shooting, was a mass shooting that occurred on Danforth Avenue in the Greektown neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada on the night of July 22, 2018. Faisal Hussain killed two people and wounded thirteen using a Smith & Wesson M&P .40-calibre handgun. He died by suicide after a shootout with Toronto Police Service (TPS) officers. Despite a year long investigation, authorities were unable to determine a motive for the shooting. They noted that Hussain had mental health issues and a long time obsession with violence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midland–Odessa shootings</span> Spree shooting in Midland and Odessa, Texas

On August 31, 2019, a spree shooting occurred in the West Texas cities of Midland and Odessa, involving a gunman shooting multiple people from a vehicle. Eight people were killed, including the perpetrator, and twenty-five people were injured, including three police officers. It was the third major mass shooting to take place in the United States in August 2019, following the El Paso Walmart shooting and the Dayton shooting.

On April 18 and 19, 2020, 51-year-old Gabriel Wortman committed multiple shootings and set fires at 16 locations in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, killing 22 people and injuring three others before he was shot and killed by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Enfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buffalo, Minnesota clinic attack</span> 2021 mass shooting and bombing in Buffalo, Minnesota

On February 9, 2021, a mass shooting and bombing occurred at a medical clinic in Buffalo, Minnesota, United States. Just before 11:00 a.m. CST, Gregory Paul Ulrich, a 67-year-old man, shot five people at Allina Health's Buffalo Crossroads facility. One victim, Lindsay Overbay, died, and three others were critically injured from gunshot wounds. All of the victims were medical clinic staff. During the attack, Ulrich discharged three improvised explosive devices, one of which failed to detonate. He surrendered to police who were dispatched to the clinic, and he was taken into custody. He admitted to authorities that he fired on people inside the clinic and set off bombs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Boulder shooting</span> Mass shooting in Boulder, Colorado

On March 22, 2021, a mass shooting occurred at a King Soopers supermarket in Boulder, Colorado, United States. Ten people were killed, including a local on-duty police officer. The alleged shooter, 21-year-old Ahmad Al Aliwi Al-Issa, was arrested after being shot in the right leg. He was temporarily hospitalized before being moved to the county jail. After undergoing mental evaluations during the legal proceedings, Al-Issa was found mentally incompetent to stand trial in December 2021 and in April 2022. On August 23, 2023, prosecutors announced that Al-Issa was mentally competent to stand trial; a judge ruled as such on October 6 of that same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indianapolis FedEx shooting</span> Mass shooting in Indianapolis, Indiana

On April 15, 2021, a mass shooting occurred at a FedEx Ground facility in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Nine people were killed, including the gunman, 19-year-old former employee Brandon Scott Hole, who committed suicide. Seven others were injured, including four by gunfire. It is the deadliest mass shooting in the history of Indiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plymouth shooting</span> 2021 mass shooting in Plymouth, England

On 12 August 2021, a mass shooting occurred in Keyham, Plymouth, England. The gunman, 22-year-old Jake Davison from Plymouth, shot and killed five people and injured two others before fatally shooting himself. Devon and Cornwall Police have not identified a motive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uvalde school shooting</span> 2022 mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, US

The Uvalde school shooting was a mass shooting that occurred on May 24, 2022, at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, United States, when 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, a former student at the school, fatally shot 19 students and two teachers, while 17 others were injured but survived. After shooting and severely wounding his grandmother at their home earlier that day, Ramos drove to and entered the school, remaining in an adjoining classroom for more than an hour before members of the United States Border Patrol Tactical Unit fatally shot him after they bypassed numerous local and state officers who had been in the school's hallways for over an hour.

On October 24, 2022, a mass shooting occurred at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in the Southwest Garden section of St. Louis, Missouri, United States when a 19-year-old former student open fired on students and staff killing two and injuring seven before being fatally shot by police.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Karimi, Faith; Ellis, Ralph (July 25, 2015). "Lafayette theater shooter switched license plates, had wigs waiting in hotel". CNN. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  2. 1 2 Ahmed, Saeed (July 14, 2015). "Gunman kills 2, then himself in Lafayette, Louisiana, movie theater". CNN . Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  3. Kaplan, Sarah; Cusick, Ashley; Izadi, Elahe (July 23, 2015). "Gunman opens fire on La. movie theater, injuring several before killing himself" . The Washington Post . Archived from the original on December 20, 2022. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  4. "Louisiana cinema shooting: Lafayette gunman 'had violent past'". BBC News. July 24, 2015. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  5. Shapiro, Emily; Liddy, Tom (July 24, 2015). "Lafayette, Louisiana, Movie Theater Gunman ID'd as John Russell Houser, 59, of Alabama". ABC News. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  6. Rollins, Samantha (July 24, 2015). "Wife, family of Louisiana shooter sought protective order in 2008". The Week. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  7. Maharaj, Davan (July 24, 2015). "Today: Deadly Rampage in Louisiana Theater". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  8. Crilly, Rob (July 24, 2015). "Two dead in cinema shooting as Obama says he was stymied on gun control". The Telegraph. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  9. Chuck, Elizabeth; Calabrese, Erin (July 30, 2015). "Chilling Surveillance Video Shows Lafayette Gunman in Theater Before Shooting". NBC News. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Ellis, Ralph; Botelho, Greg (July 25, 2015). "Lafayette theater shooter bought gun legally, police say". CNN . Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  11. Turk, Leslie; Stack, Liam (July 24, 2015). "Gunman Kills 2 and Himself at Movie Theater in Lafayette, La" . The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 27, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  12. Cook, Lanie Lee (July 31, 2015). "Videos and 911 tapes offer chilling glimpse into Lafayette shooting". The Advocate. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Santana, Rebecca; Burdeau, Cain (July 25, 2015). "Lafayette movie theater shooting survivor: "You needed a second to think, 'OK, this is real'"". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Turk, Leslie; Pérez-Peña, Richard; Stack, Liam (July 24, 2015). "Lafayette, Louisiana, Gunman Identified as 'Drifter'". The New York Times . Archived from the original on April 26, 2023. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  15. Stone, Natalie; Rahman, Abid; Lewis, Hilary; Couch, Aaron (July 24, 2015). "Three Dead After Shooting at 'Trainwreck' Screening in Louisiana". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  16. 1 2 3 Kunzelman, Michael; Santana, Rebecca (January 14, 2016). "No clear motive seen in Louisiana theater shooter's journal". New York Daily News. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  17. 1 2 Shapiro, Emily; Liddy, Tom (July 23, 2015). "3 Dead, 7 Injured in Lafayette Louisiana Theater Shooting, Police Say". ABC News. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  18. 1 2 3 4 Payne, Ed (July 23, 2015). "3 dead, 7 hurt when gunman opens fire in Lafayette movie theater". CNN . Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sickles, Jason; Walsh, Michael (July 24, 2015). "Lafayette gunman cased theater prior to rampage, but motive remains unknown". Yahoo! News. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  20. 1 2 3 Shapiro, Emily; Liddy, Tom (July 24, 2015). "Louisiana Theater Gunman ID'd as John Russel Houser". ABC News . Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  21. 1 2 3 Ellis, Ralph; Botelho, Greg (July 24, 2015). "Man described as a drifter kills 2, himself in Lafayette, Louisiana, movie theater". CNN. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  22. "3 dead and more wounded as police describe theatre shooting scene as "horrific"". The Star. July 24, 2015. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  23. 1 2 "'It's time to let these folks grieve'". The Advertiser. July 24, 2015. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  24. 1 2 3 Cook, Lanie Lee; Gunn, Billy (August 5, 2015). "Lafayette theater shooting tested training, reactions of police, medics and hospital workers". The Advocate. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  25. Cook, Lanie Lee (July 29, 2015). "As investigation winds down on the Grand 16 Theatre mass shooting, Lafayette police turn attention to other shootings". The Advocate. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  26. 1 2 Stegall, Amber (July 29, 2015). "Autopsy results released for shooter, victims in Lafayette theater shooting". WAFB. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  27. 1 2 Kasperkevic, Jana (July 24, 2015). "Lafayette cinema shooting: three dead including lone gunman and nine injured". The Guardian . Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  28. Stegall, Amber (January 13, 2016). "Police Report: Lafayette theater shooter praised Charleston church shooter in journal". WTVM. Archived from the original on January 15, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  29. 1 2 3 "3 dead, including gunman, 7 wounded in Louisiana movie theater shooting". The Chicago Tribune. July 23, 2015. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  30. 1 2 Nolan, Heather (August 14, 2015). "Last Lafayette theater shooting victim released from hospital". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  31. "Congressman's Cousin Among Those Shot in Louisiana Theater". NBC News. July 27, 2015. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
  32. Turk, Leslie; Stack, Liam (July 23, 2015). "3 Fatally Shot and 7 Injured at Theater in Lafayette, La". The New York Times . Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  33. "Three Dead After Shooting at 'Trainwreck' Screening in Louisiana". The Hollywood Reporter. July 23, 2015. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  34. 1 2 3 "Louisiana Theater Gunman's Journal Found in Motel Room". Yahoo! GMA. July 27, 2015. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
  35. "Louisiana Movie Theater Gunman John Houser Was a Drifter, Police Say". ABC News. July 24, 2015. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  36. 1 2 "Cryptic phrases, 'Trainwreck' mentions, more revealed in Lafayette theater shooter's journal, motel photos". The Advocate. January 13, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  37. "Lafayette theater shooting: Police finish processing crime scene, return building to owners". The Times-Picayune. July 27, 2015. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
  38. 1 2 "Lafayette shooter able to buy gun because he was never involuntarily committed". The Washington Post. July 27, 2015. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
  39. 1 2 3 4 Wagner, Meg (July 28, 2015). "Judge who detained Lafayette movie theater shooter John Houser says she couldn't force him into mental hospital: 'I did my job'". The New York Daily News. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  40. Frey, Kevin (November 19, 2015). "Grand Theatre 16 in Lafayette reopens 4 months after deadly shooting". WMC Action News 5. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  41. "Timeline of theater gunman John Russell Houser's life". U.S. News . Associated Press. July 25, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  42. Zavadski, Katie (July 24, 2015). "Inside the Twisted Mind of John Russell Houser". The Daily Beast. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  43. "Lafayette theater shooter ID'd as John Russell Houser, 'kind of a drifter' with few ties to town". The Times-Picayune. July 24, 2015. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  44. 1 2 Edgemon, Erin (July 24, 2015). "Louisiana theater shooter John Russel Houser was angry, bizarre, reclusive, neighbors say". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  45. 1 2 "Lafayette shooter John Houser should have been denied gun: Gov. Jindal". MSNBC. July 26, 2015. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  46. "Friend: Lafayette theater shooter John Houser had drinking problem, appeared depressed". The Advocate. July 24, 2015. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  47. Reeves, Jay; Brumback, Kate (July 25, 2015). "Theater gunman built reputation as an angry provocateur". Yahoo! News . Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  48. "Movie theater shooter's mental problems didn't stop gun buy". Yahoo! News. July 25, 2015. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  49. Sickles, Jason (July 25, 2015). "Lafayette theater gunman spent weeks before rampage drinking beer at a motel pool". Yahoo! News. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  50. 1 2 Wan, William (July 26, 2015). "Louisiana town struggles to make sense of movie-theater shooting". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
  51. Erika Ferrando (July 24, 2015). "Lafayette shooter reportedly visited Lake Charles food bank". KPLC . Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  52. "Lafayette Movie Theater Shooter John Houser Should have Been Denied Gun: Gov. Jindal". NBC News. July 26, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  53. "Lafayette Shooting: Anti-Feminist John Russell Houser May Have Targeted 'Trainwreck'". The Hollywood Reporter. July 27, 2015. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
  54. "Lafayette Theater Shooter Fan of David Duke, Neo-Nazis, and Antigovernment conspiracies". Southern Poverty Law Center. July 23, 2015. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  55. "Lafayette theater shooter thanks man accused of black church slayings". Associated Press/The Times-Picayune. January 13, 2016. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
  56. Hannon, Elliot (January 14, 2016). "Hate-Filled Journal of Louisiana Theater Shooter Praises Dylann Roof for "Wake Up Call"". Slate Magazine. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
  57. Rosche, Jedd (July 24, 2015). "Bobby Jindal on theater shooting: 'We will get through this'". CNN. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  58. "Gunman shoots 11, kills 2 in Lafayette movie theater". WWL-TV. July 24, 2015. Archived from the original on July 24, 2015. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  59. Alpert, Bruce (July 24, 2015). "Pray for Lafayette shooting victims and their families, say Louisiana congressional members". The Times-Picayune . Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  60. "Shreveport representative wants metal detectors in theaters". KLFY . July 27, 2015. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
  61. Fowler, Tara (July 24, 2015). "Amy Schumer Says Her 'Heart Is Broken' over Trainwreck Shooting That Left 3 Dead and 9 Wounded". People . Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  62. "Sen. Schumer, comedian Amy Schumer call for more gun control". Yahoo! News Celebrity. August 3, 2015. Archived from the original on August 3, 2015. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
  63. Molyneaux, Libby (February 3, 2011). "MAKE US LAUGH, FUNNY GIRL! AMY SCHUMER". LA Weekly. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  64. 1 2 Khatchatourian, Maane (July 24, 2015). "Universal, Louisiana Theater Owner Respond to 'Trainwreck' Shooting, 'Senseless Tragedy'". Variety . Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  65. "Kenner police to increase patrols at Grand Theatre after Lafayette shooting". The Advocate. July 24, 2015. Retrieved July 24, 2015.