Authorities have named John Russell Houser as the shooter who killed two women and wounded nine after opening fire inside a Lafayette, Louisiana movie theatre.
During a press conference, police said that the 59-year-old gunman was armed with a semi-automatic .40-caliber handgun. Authorities are currently investigating whether or not the gun was bought legally.
Houser's arrest record shows that he was previously arrested for domestic violence, harassment, theft and traffic violations.
Arrest record of #Lafayette shooter #johnrhouser obtained from #PhenixCity police @wrblnews3 pic.twitter.com/8J0qD9VqsE
— Cassandra Webb (@cassandraWRBL) July 24, 2015
Houser was denied a concealed carry permit in 2006 after an arrest involving arson. He was also involuntarily committed to a mental health facility in both 2008 and 2009, CNN reported.
Calvin Floyd, a former WLTZ-TV host in Georgia, told the Washington Post that Houser was a frequent caller who expressed radical views, opposed women in the workplace and advocated violence against abortion supporters.
An undated photo provided by the Lafayette Police Department shows John Russel Houser.
"The best I can recall, Rusty had an issue with feminine rights. He was opposed to women having a say in anything," he said. "You could talk with him a few minutes, and you would know he had a high IQ but there was a lot missing with him.”
Wesley Bruer, a family friend of the shooter, told CNN that Houser as "politically charged," "paranoid," and someone who was "mentally unstable."
Online profiles allegedly attributed to Houser were found on Twitter, Tea Party Nation and PoliticalForum.com. The gunman supposedly left hundreds of messages expressing views that were anti-government and anti-media.
If you don't think the internet is censored, try reading a newspaper from a country that hates liberals the way I do.
— john russell houser (@jrustyhouser) June 6, 2013
The Westboro Baptist Church may be the last real church in America[members not brainwashed].
— john russell houser (@jrustyhouser) June 5, 2013
The gunman wrote on a forum dedicated to the Golden Dawn, the far-right Greek neo-Nazi political party.
“Do not mistake yourselves for one minute, the enemy sees all posted on this website. I do not want to discourage the last hope for the best, but you must realize the power of the lone wolf, is the power that come forth in ALL situations.”
In 2014, Houser lost his home to foreclosure. The couple who purchased the home told the Ledger-Enquirer that Houser trashed the home.
The family's lawyer walked into the home before Houser had left to find the home covered in paint, semen, fecal matter, dead fish and other filth.
On Thursday, Russell County, Alabama Sheriff Heath Taylor said that Houser poured concrete into plumbing pipes, damaged gas lines at the home. He said that the damage could be considered "a booby trap" and that is was extremely dangerous.
Sheriff Taylor said that Houser never spent any time in county jail but pointed to mental health cuts in the county that may leave a large amount of patients untreated.
Houser eventually made his way to Louisiana in early July. He was estranged from his family and living at a Motel 6, nearly 4 miles away from the Grand 16 theatre.
Read more:
Three dead and seven injured after gunman opens fire in theatre
Louisiana shooting victims mourned by shocked friends
Additional reporting from the Associated Press
