Red flags indicating the Dayton shooter:
In the quiet suburban town of Bellbrook, Ohio, the community is left reeling from the tragic events of last weekend, when former Bellbrook High School student Connor Betts carried out a shooting rampage in downtown Dayton, killing nine people before being shot and killed by police.
Betts, who attended Bellbrook High School alongside Shay Stout, Robert Ljungren, and Bryce Henry, was well-known in the area before the incident. Fellow student Daniel Mendez stated that Betts had a fascination with violent music and videos, while senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, Max Eden, sees similarities between the Dayton shooting and the Parkland shooting.
Eden also highlighted missed warning signs in the troubled life of Nikolas Cruz, who confessed to the Parkland shooting. In the case of Betts, school officials, including the superintendent and school board president, are not commenting on the incident. The police with jurisdiction over Betts' high school are also not answering questions.
The investigation into the Dayton shooting continues, with the FBI looking into Betts' interest in "violent ideologies." Seven years prior, in 2012, a police officer removed Betts from school because he had drawn up lists of students he wanted to kill and rape. It is unclear why Betts was allowed back into school after this incident.
Students at Bellbrook High School are set to return to school next week, but some parents believe the school could have done more to prevent the tragedy. Kacey Cox, another parent, stated, "I think they could have done a lot more to keep our kids safe."
Robyn Laird, another parent, defended school officials and police, stating, "It's hard to judge teenagers' actions without knowing their circumstances." Governor Mike DeWine of Ohio has proposed new legislation on guns and mental health, citing red flags in Betts' past.
In both Dayton and Parkland, students came forward after the shootings to say they were not surprised by the perpetrator's actions, as they had stated they could do it. This raises questions about gaps in threat assessment, mental health support, and law enforcement protocols.
Further investigations are ongoing, and the community awaits answers as they work to heal from this traumatic event.
- The community is discussing a possible lack of action in preventing the Dayton shooting, with some parents questioning if more could have been done in the education system to keep students safe.
- In the aftermath of the Dayton shooting, there are concerns about gaps in threat assessment, mental health support, and law enforcement protocols, as students had previously warned about the perpetrator's intentions.
- As the investigation into the Dayton shooting continues, there is a focus on Betts' interest in violent ideologies, and parallels are being drawn with the Parkland shooting, particularly regarding missed warning signs in the troubled lives of the perpetrators.
