Ohio Shooting Suspect Described Himself as a Socialist, Advocated Violence Against ‘Fascists’

Ohio Shooting Suspect Described Himself as a Socialist, Advocated Violence Against ‘Fascists’
Connor Betts in pictures he posted to Twitter. (@iamthespookster/Twitte)
Zachary Stieber
8/5/2019
Updated:
8/5/2019
Ohio shooting suspect Connor Betts was a registered Democrat who posted pro-socialist content on a social media account along with repeated indications that he favored gun control, violence against “fascists” and white supremacists, and Satanism.

Betts described himself as a “leftist” on his Twitter profile and used hashtags on one selfie that included “selfie4satan” and “HailSatan.”

Betts shared videos from Some More News that were anti-Republican, including one from host Cody Johnston that claimed “the president wants to shoot migrants at the border.”

Betts also repeatedly indicated his support for gun control, writing in one missive, “This is America: Guns on every corner, guns in every house, no freedom but that to kill.” In another, he said he himself loved guns.

Connor Betts in pictures he posted to Twitter. (@iamthespookster/Twitter)
Connor Betts in pictures he posted to Twitter. (@iamthespookster/Twitter)
A post from Connor Betts on his Twitter account, which was suspended after he allegedly carried out a mass shooting on Aug. 5, 2019. (@iamthespookster/Twitter)
A post from Connor Betts on his Twitter account, which was suspended after he allegedly carried out a mass shooting on Aug. 5, 2019. (@iamthespookster/Twitter)

Betts described immigration detention centers as “concentration camps,” writing: “Cut the fences down. Slice ICE tires. Throw bolt cutters over the fences.”

The hyperbolic language, popularized by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), was also used recently by a 69-year-old Antifa member who attacked an immigration facility in Washington state before being shot dead.

Betts said he supported Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and indicated support for Ocasio-Cortez, sharing an article about House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) not supporting AOC and her cohorts and telling his followers to read it.

The alleged shooter also pushed violence against so-called “fascists.” In one case, he replied to a Buzzfeed story and wrote: “Kill every fascist.” He shared an article from the New Republic about an alleged “global fascist movement” and shared posts doxxing people who users said attended a pro-Ku Klux Klan rally in Dayton, writing, “Know your enemies.”

In one post, Betts wrote, “I want socialism, and I'll not wait for the idiots to finally come round to understanding.”

The Twitter page was discovered by the website Heavy.com. Twitter later removed the page.
Connor Betts in an undated mugshot. Police said the 24-year-old carried out a mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio on Aug. 4, 2019. (Dayton Police Department)
Connor Betts in an undated mugshot. Police said the 24-year-old carried out a mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio on Aug. 4, 2019. (Dayton Police Department)

Texas Shooter Manifesto

The man who allegedly carried out the El Paso, Texas, mass shooting over the weekend left behind a manifesto that police confirmed he likely wrote. It said the attack was carried out as “a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas.

“They are the instigator s, not me. I am simply defending my country from cultural and ethnic replacement brought on by an in vasion [sic],” Patrick Crusius wrote.

“Some people will think this statement is hypocritical because of the nearly complete ethnic and cultural destruction brought to the Native Americans by our European ancestors, but this just reinforces my point. The natives didn’t take the invasion of Europeans seriously, and now what’s left is just a shadow of what was.”

Crusius expressed dismay with both Democrats and Republicans and said lawmakers “have been failing us for decades.”

“They are either complacent or involved in one of the biggest betrayals of the American public in our history. The takeover of the United States government by unchecked corporations,” he added, predicting a future one-party state.

“The Democrat party will own America and they know it. They have already begun the transition by pandering heavily to the Hispanic voting bloc in the 1st Democratic Debate. They intend to use open borders, free healthcare for illegals, citizenship and more to enact a political coup by importing and then legalizing millions of new voters. With policies like these, the Hispanic support for Democrats will likely become nearly unanimous in the future. The heavy Hispanic population in Texas will make us a Democrat stronghold,” Crusius alleged.

Patrick Crusius in an undated mugshot. (FBI via AP)
Patrick Crusius in an undated mugshot. (FBI via AP)

He said that new migrants work hard but claimed that their children do not and blamed Republican lawmakers for increasing the number of foreign workers allowed in the country, saying it undermined Americans’ ability to find good jobs.

He later said that he carried out the shooting because the country was going a different direction than he'd imagined due to mass migration.

“Inaction is a choice I can no longer beat the shame of inaction knowing that our founding fathers have endowed me with the rights needed to save our country from the brink [of] destruction,” he wrote.

While some have tried blaming President Donald Trump for the Texas shooting, Crusius said the president had nothing to do with it.

“My ideology has not changed for several years. My opinions on automation, immigration, and the rest predate Trump and his campaign for president. I put ting [sic] this here because some people will blame the President or certain presidential candidates for the attack. This is not the case,” he wrote.

“I know that the media will probably call me a white supremacist anyway and blame Trump’s rhetoric. The media is infamous for fake news. Their reaction to this attack will likely just confirm that.”