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| Louisiana shooting: Lafayette cinema killer 'tried to flee' | Louisiana shooting: Lafayette cinema killer 'tried to flee' |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Police have identified the gunman who killed two women and injured nine others before shooting himself inside a Louisiana cinema. | Police have identified the gunman who killed two women and injured nine others before shooting himself inside a Louisiana cinema. |
| Officials described John Russell Houser, 59, as a "drifter" from Alabama who had been staying at nearby motel. | Officials described John Russell Houser, 59, as a "drifter" from Alabama who had been staying at nearby motel. |
| Witnesses said Houser fired 13 rounds with a handgun during a Thursday night screening of Trainwreck in Lafayette. | |
| Hours earlier, US President Barack Obama told the BBC that gun law reform had been his "greatest frustration". | Hours earlier, US President Barack Obama told the BBC that gun law reform had been his "greatest frustration". |
| Police chief Jim Craft said investigators believe Houser intended to flee rather than take his own life, but the quick police response forced him back into the building. | Police chief Jim Craft said investigators believe Houser intended to flee rather than take his own life, but the quick police response forced him back into the building. |
| Mr Craft said Houser's car was parked outside one of the cinema's exits. Investigators found wigs and other disguises inside his motel room. | |
| Authorities said Houser's motive is still unclear, but it appeared he acted alone and did not know the victims. | |
| The victims were identified as 21-year-old Mayci Breaux and 31-year-old Jillian Johnson. | |
| Nine people were taken to a local hospital with injuries ranging from critical to non-life-threatening. One person remains in critical condition. | Nine people were taken to a local hospital with injuries ranging from critical to non-life-threatening. One person remains in critical condition. |
| The police chief said that Houser did have a criminal history but that it was "pretty old". | The police chief said that Houser did have a criminal history but that it was "pretty old". |
| Dozens of emergency vehicles were dispatched to the scene of the shooting in Lafayette, a city of about 120,000 people. | Dozens of emergency vehicles were dispatched to the scene of the shooting in Lafayette, a city of about 120,000 people. |
| One witness said she heard a loud bang like a firecracker about 20 minutes into the film and saw a man standing up and shooting. | |
| "He wasn't saying anything. I didn't hear anybody screaming either," Katie Domingue told local newspaper The Advertiser. | "He wasn't saying anything. I didn't hear anybody screaming either," Katie Domingue told local newspaper The Advertiser. |
| About 100 people are thought to have been in the building at the time of the shooting. | About 100 people are thought to have been in the building at the time of the shooting. |
| Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, who arrived at the scene late on Thursday night, told reporters: "We will get through this. We are a resilient community." | Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, who arrived at the scene late on Thursday night, told reporters: "We will get through this. We are a resilient community." |
| "This is an awful night for Lafayette. This is an awful night for Louisiana. This is an awful night for the United States," he added. | "This is an awful night for Lafayette. This is an awful night for Louisiana. This is an awful night for the United States," he added. |
| US comedian and actress Amy Schumer, who stars in Trainwreck, tweeted: "My heart is broken and all my thoughts and prayers are with everyone in Louisiana." | US comedian and actress Amy Schumer, who stars in Trainwreck, tweeted: "My heart is broken and all my thoughts and prayers are with everyone in Louisiana." |
| The shooting comes as a jury deliberates the death penalty for a gunman who attacked a cinema in Colorado three years ago. | The shooting comes as a jury deliberates the death penalty for a gunman who attacked a cinema in Colorado three years ago. |
| James Holmes, 27, killed 12 people and wounding 70 others in July 2012 at a screening of a Batman film near Denver. | James Holmes, 27, killed 12 people and wounding 70 others in July 2012 at a screening of a Batman film near Denver. |