dagblog - Comments for "Ohio gunman killed sister, eight others in second deadly U.S. mass shooting in 24 hours"

more interesting input from

artappraiser — Tue, 06 Aug 2019 05:48:37 +0000

more interesting input from "a former friend" and the Post's summary of his 3,000+ tweets:

A former friend of Betts, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to maintain her privacy, said she and Betts’s group of friends had a reputation at Bellbrook as “the emo kids, the outcast kids that the cool kids didn’t really like.” The group of about a half-dozen people dressed in dark clothing, including Betts, she said.

On weekends, the friends would sometimes smoke marijuana or drink alcohol, she said, but most often, they just “hung out and chilled,” making idle conversation.

That was when Betts would meditate on “death and dark, morbid stuff,” she said. He also told at least one member of the group that he sometimes heard disembodied voices.

Betts also liked to talk about politics, the friend said. He registered as a Democrat in 2012, and in high school he would frequently trash Republicans, she said.

A now-suspended Twitter feed — which included several selfies of Betts and his family, and referenced growing up in the Dayton area — suggests far-left political beliefs, concern over climate change and a penchant for violent jokes.

The Washington Post captured more than 3,000 tweets on the account, which was created in December 2013 and used the handle @iamthespookster. The owner was an avid and frequent user of the social media site — before the account was suspended late Sunday night. A Twitter spokesperson said that the company removes all “content that violates our policies and will be engaged with law enforcement, as appropriate” but declined to elaborate further.

In addition to occasional selfies and pictures of a Betts family dog, the user often tweeted in support of policies and programs associated with far-left American politics.

Ex-girlfriend says Dayton

artappraiser — Tue, 06 Aug 2019 05:42:06 +0000

In reply to Ohio gunman killed sister, eight others in second deadly U.S. mass shooting in 24 hours

Ex-girlfriend says Dayton shooter heard voices, talked about ‘dark, evil things’

By Emily Davies, Bill Craig & Hannah Natanson @ WashingtonPost.com, Aug. 5. With video clip of interview.

During his senior year of high school, Connor Betts seemed to always have caffeine pills in one hand and an energy drink in another. He was unable to sleep, he told his then-girlfriend Lyndsi Doll, because of dark, animal-like shadows that tormented him at night.

Seven years after they dated, Doll recalls Betts as a serious and reserved kid who wrestled with hallucinations and menacing voices in his head.

While they were in high school, Betts told Doll that he had suffered from psychosis since he was young and feared developing schizophrenia.

“He would cry to me sometimes,” she said, “saying how he’s afraid of himself and afraid he was going to hurt someone one day. It’s haunting now.” [....]

Former classmates say the

artappraiser — Mon, 05 Aug 2019 22:58:55 +0000

In reply to Ohio gunman killed sister, eight others in second deadly U.S. mass shooting in 24 hours

Former classmates say the Dayton gunman had a 'hit list' in high school

By Paul P. Murphy, Audrey Ash and Gisela Crespo, CNN.com, Updated 3:11 PM ET, August 5

As a high school student, the gunman in the Dayton massacre had a "hit list" of classmates he wanted to "kill" or "rape," said former students who said they were told by school officials they were on the list.

Spencer Brickler said a counselor at Bellbrook High School in Ohio told him he and his sister were on Connor Betts' hit list.

Brickler recalled sitting on a school bus about nine years ago when he saw Betts getting escorted away by officers investigating the threats.

"He was kind of dark and depressive in high school," said Brickler, who was a freshman when the school counselor told him about the hit list. He said he had no idea what prompted Betts, then a sophomore, to put him or his sister on the list [....]

Authorities searched the Betts' family home in Bellbrook, a suburb southeast of Dayton, and uncovered writings that expressed an interest in killing people, two law enforcement sources told CNN.

But the writings did not indicate any racial or political motive, sources said.

A 'kill list' for boys and a 'rape list' for girls

Another former high school classmate, who asked not to be identified out of concerns for his privacy, also recalled being summoned to a school administrator's office and being told he was "number one" on the list of students Betts wanted to kill.

He said the list was separated into two columns: a "kill list" for boys and a "rape list" for girls [....]

Connor Betts: Twitter Posts

artappraiser — Mon, 05 Aug 2019 01:37:12 +0000

In reply to Ohio gunman killed sister, eight others in second deadly U.S. mass shooting in 24 hours

Connor Betts: Twitter Posts on Being a Leftist, Guns

By Jessica McBride @ Heavy.com, Aug. 4, 6:53 pm

Connor Betts, the Dayton, Ohio mass shooter, was a self-described “leftist,” who wrote that he would happily vote for Democrat Elizabeth Warren, praised Satan, was upset about the 2016 presidential election results, and added, “I want socialism, and i’ll not wait for the idiots to finally come round to understanding.”

Betts’ Twitter profile read, “he/him / anime fan / metalhead / leftist / i’m going to hell and i’m not coming back.” One tweet on his page read, “Off to Midnight Mass. At least the songs are good. #athiestsonchristmas.” The page handle? I am the spookster. On one selfie, he included the hashtags, “#selfie4satan #HailSatan @SatanTweeting.” On the date of Republican Sen. John McCain’s death, he wrote, “F*ck John McCain.”

On Nov. 2, 2018, he wrote: “Vote blue for gods sake.” [.....]

The lives lost in Dayton

artappraiser — Mon, 05 Aug 2019 01:16:41 +0000

In reply to Ohio gunman killed sister, eight others in second deadly U.S. mass shooting in 24 hours

The lives lost in Dayton

By The Washington Post staff @ WashingtonPost.com, Aug. 4

Nine people were killed in Dayton, Ohio, when a gunman opened fire early Sunday at a bar. Here are the stories of the victims.

We’ll continue to update these profiles as we learn more [....]