LAFAYETTE, La., (Reuters) – A 59-year-old man who had been committed to a hospital for psychiatric care was identified by authorities yesterday as the gunman who fatally shot two people in a rampage at a movie theater in central Louisiana before turning the gun on himself as police closed in.
The gunman, John R. Houser, had a volatile relationship with his family and railed against the U.S. government online. He opened fire with a .40 caliber handgun about 20 minutes into the comedy film “Trainwreck,” sending panicked theatergoers ducking behind seats and running for the exits. One woman pulled the fire alarm.
“This is a normal movie theater in a normal part of a normal town. This is Anywhere, USA,” said Republican Governor Bobby Jindal, a presidential contender who went to the crime scene in Lafayette. “This just shows these senseless acts of violence can literally happen anywhere.”
