Law enforcement agencies in the Southland again sent messages of concern and outrage today after the second mass shooting in as many days shocked the United States, with nine people shot dead in Dayton, Ohio, one day after 20 people were killed in El Paso, Texas.
“Once again we wake up to horrifying news,” Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva tweeted Sunday. “Our prayers go out to all of Ohio for yet again another senseless act of domestic terrorism. Spare me the ‘now is not the time’ lecture—at the current pace there never will be time to prevent the next one. #DaytonOHShooting.”
The sheriff then followed that up with another tweet: “It’s time to end the manufacture and sale of semi-automatic rifles with detachable magazines, period.”
“Hours after the tragedy in El Paso, we’re now faced with another horrific mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio,” the Los Angeles Police Department tweeted. “We cannot become numb to this senseless gun violence. As we mourn with our nation, we also continue to work, communicating & learning details from our law enforcement partners.”
The shooting of Dayton, OH is the second mass casualty shooting in the nation within 24 hours of each other. Our hearts go out to everyone affected by these senseless acts of violence. #LBPD will have additional resources working in high population areas citywide today.
— Long Beach PD (CA) (@LBPD) August 4, 2019
The Long Beach Police Department tweeted: “As we hear of the senseless shooting in El Paso, TX we want to assure our #LongBeach community that #LBPD remains vigilant & will be providing extra patrols in shopping center areas. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of El Paso during this very difficult time.”
Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia called on congress, and specifically Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to pass “common sense gun reform legislation.”
Enough is enough. When will this madness end? How many more mass shootings will it take for Congress to act? This is our failure as a country and we continue to do nothing. Completely unacceptable. Sad for our country and all the victims and families.
— Robert Garcia (@RobertGarcia) August 4, 2019
Saturday’s attack took place at a Walmart, where authorities say a 21-year-old man shot at a large crowd of weekend shoppers with an automatic rifle before he was taken into custody. Twenty people were dead and as many as 26 people were injured, some with life-threatening injuries.
Federal authorities were investigating an anti-Mexican and anti-immigrant screed allegedly posted by the El Paso shooter.
On Sunday, authorities in Dayton said a 24-year-old man opened fire on a crowd of people in a popular downtown area at about 1 a.m., killing at least nine people, including his sister, before he was killed. At least 27 people were injured.
Both shootings were carried out with large-capacity or assault-type weapons, prompting many Democratic politicians to renew calls for federal gun-control legislation.
“There are more guns in this country than people, and more per capita than any other country in the world,” California Sen. Dianne Feinstein said on Twitter. “And there are more gun deaths by far. I continue to hope that opponents of commonsense gun reform laws will come to their senses and join the effort to save lives.”
There are no words, thoughts, or prayers that can quell the unspeakable horror that has befallen the El Paso community,” tweeted Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Los Angeles. “Shame on #Moscowmitch for taking no action on Dem gun violence prevention bill! Shame on Trump for stoking hatred, racism, & white nationalism. It must end!”
After the El Paso shooting Saturday, the LAPD tweeted: “A weekend trip to the mall should not end in bloodshed. Our hearts go out to the El Paso community, who are dealing with this senseless violence, and the aftermath of a horrific shooting. The LAPD is monitoring the situation and communicating with our law enforcement partners.”
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department tweeted a link to a video on how to survive an active shooter: “The #LASD is following the tragic news of a #massshooting in #ElPaso. We have no info to indicate an Active ShooterThreat in LA County. In the event of an unlikely attack, this trng video is avail in both English and Spanish. Viewer discretion is advised. bit.ly/2YsjCEg”
President Trump ordered all U.S. flags flown at half-staff at public buildings and military posts until sunset on Thursday.
“Our nation mourns with those whose loved ones were murdered in the tragic shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, and we share in the pain and suffering of all those who were injured in these two senseless attacks,” Trump said in a statement Sunday. “We condemn these hateful and cowardly acts. Through our grief, America stands united with the people of El Paso and Dayton. May God be with the victims of these two horrific crimes and bring aid and comfort to their families and friends.”
On July 28, a 19-year-old man in tactical gear shot and killed three people, including two children, at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Northern California.