Dayton shooter's ex-girlfriend: "I'm not shocked he did something horrific"
The ex-girlfriend of the Dayton shooter says she's "not shocked he did something horrific." Connor Betts opened fire early Sunday morning in a popular nightlife area of Dayton, killing nine people before police shot and killed him.
Adelia Johnson says she and Betts dated from March to May. Betts was studying psychology in college and that's why, at first, she didn't think much of his fascination with violence.
"I didn't think he would go shoot strangers. Especially his sister," Johnson said. "He was interested in what makes terrible people do terrible things."
But looking back, there were red flags. On their first date, he showed her a video of a mass shooting. She broke up with him in the spring.
"I'm not shocked he did something horrific," she said. "I am shocked that he did it to this level."
The FBI has opened an investigation into Betts as evidence emerges he previously expressed a desire to commit a mass shooting and had a history of violent ideologies. The FBI says it's looking at three main things: what ideology influenced the attacker, who if anyone helped him or knew about his plan, and why he committed this specific act of violence.
Late Tuesday, police delivered a statement on behalf of Betts' parents, which included an expression of horror and grief over the loss of both of their children. During his 30-second rampage in Dayton's Oregon District, Betts killed nine people including his own sister.
We are also learning more about the victims. Nicholas Cumer was a graduate student studying cancer care. Beatrice Nicole Warren-Curtis worked in health insurance, and friends say she was "always supportive." Thomas McNichols was the father of four children, all ages 8 and under.
Dion Green says he was enjoying a night out with his father, 57-year-old Derrick Fudge, when the shooter opened fire. His dad died in his arms.
"He saved my life, 'cause there's no way that I shouldn't have been the one that got hit," Green said. "He's just staring at me, just staring at me, and I'm just like, 'c'mon,' and he just stops breathing on me, and I just lose it, I just grab him. I hold him, just tell him I love him, just hold him."
The FBI said the shooter was not on its radar prior to this incident. It would not give specifics on what exactly his violent ideologies were, but did say it found no evidence he was racially motivated or influenced by the El Paso shooting.
