American Crisis: At Least 31 Killed in U.S. Mass Shootings

Tags: Currents Brooklyn, NY, Faith, Queens, NY, World News

By Emily Drooby

Devastation hit the city of Dayton, Ohio when a gunman opened fire on a crowd outside a popular bar.

This occurred just 13 hours after a shooter fired into a crowd of shoppers in El Paso, Texas.

Between the two shootings, at least 31 are dead and over 50 people have been injured.

From an El Paso church to the Vatican, prayers for the victims being said all over the world.

Pope Francis has also spoken out, inviting others to pray for the victims with him.

“I am spiritually close to the victims of the violent attacks. that led to bloodshed of defenseless people in Texas, California and Ohio in the United States,” he said while speaking to a crowd at the Vatican.

President Trump has also leaned on God.

While addressing the nation on August 5, Trump offered his ideas on how to end the shooting epidemic. He asked for officials and social media companies to work on ways to better identify and act on early warning signs.

Trump also called for mental health law reform in the form of ‘red flag laws,’ to keep guns away from people who have been deemed a potential threat. He also proposed that those who commit mass murders and hate crimes face the death penalty.

Trump also placed heavy blame on the internet and the glorification of violence, adding that hate has no place in America.

“In one voice our nation must condemn racism, bigotry, and white supremacy,” he said.

The El Paso shooting suspect, Patrick Crusius, is believed to have authored a manifesto filled with racist and anti-immigrant rhetoric.

He is now facing the death penalty.

Connor Betts, who killed his own sister during the attack, has been identified as the Dayton shooter. He was fatally shot by police in less than a minute.

A former classmate said that in high school he had a hit list filled of people he wanted to kill and or rape.

“I saw him get pulled off the bus after school one day. And apparently, he had made a kill list, and I happened to be on it. I don’t know why,” said former classmate Spencer Brickler.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is now calling on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to bring lawmakers back to Washington for an emergency session on gun control.