Ohio Shooter Kept a ‘Hit List’ and ‘Rape List’ in High School
Two classmates shared that the shooter had a troubled past in high school that could have prevented him from being allowed to purchase a weapon.
The shooter was suspended twice in high school for having a "rape list" and a "hit list."
Two former high school classmates of the gunman who killed nine people in Dayton, Ohio, on Sunday, said he was suspended for keeping a hit list of those he wanted to kill and a rape list of girls he wanted to sexually assault.
The classmates came forward about the gunman, 24-year-old Connor Betts, who was fatally shot by police after opening fire outside a crowded bar, reports Yahoo News.
They told The Associated Press that Betts was suspended during his junior year at Bellbrook High School in Ohio after a hit list was found in the bathroom. That followed a previous suspension for showing up at school with a list of students he wanted to sexually assault.
“There was a kill list and a rape list, and my name was on the rape list,” said one classmate who chose to remain anonymous. She was a freshman when a police officer told her that her name was included on the list.
“The officer said he wouldn’t be at school for a while,” she said. “But after some time passed he was back, walking the halls. They didn’t give us any warning that he was returning to school.”
Police began an investigation after discovering the hit list in early 2012. According to the Dayton Daily News, roughly one-third of Bellbrook students skipped school out of fear.
Bellbrook-Sugarcreek Schools officials declined to comment on any of these accounts.
Drew Gainey, another classmate, posted to Twitter on Sunday about Betts’ behavior at Bellbrook.
“There was an incident in high school with this shooter that should have prevented him from ever getting his hands on a weapon. This was a tragedy that was 100% avoidable,” he wrote.
Betts purchased a .223-caliber rifle with extended ammunition magazines, according to authorities. He ordered the weapon online and picked it up at a firearms dealer near Dayton.
“There’s nothing in this individual’s record that would have precluded him from getting these weapons,” Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl said.
Of the nine victims, ages ranged from 22- to 57-years-old and included the shooter’s sister, Megan Betts.
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About the Author
Katie Malafronte, Web Editor
Katie Malafronte is Campus Safety's Web Editor. She graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 2017 with a Bachelor's Degree in Communication Studies and a minor in Writing & Rhetoric. Katie has been CS's Web Editor since 2018.
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This guy was known for odd behavior, yet nothing was done. He was a socialist also, yet committed a crime with a gun. He picked a soft target where guns were not allowed, so concealed carry permit holders could not have engaged him. Once a mass shooter is engaged by someone with a gun, they either run, get shot, surrender or commit suicide, but the killing of innocent people stops.
There is information being released that this suspect was a far left extremist and a socialist. These aspects need to be addressed on campuses across the country. The far left, including ANTIFA must be recognized as the threat they are. They are present on college campuses in large numbers and this shows how dangerous they truly are.
Here is yet another example of why patents should also be held accountable for their kids actions while still a minor. The fact that he was suspended without any evidence of further action being taken is not nor should be acceptable.
The sadness is that people with a mental illness are seen as capable of committing this kind of violence. Having a mental illness is stigmatising enough without now being seen as one who could go on a shooting rampage at the drop of a hat.
“a far left extremist and a socialist…” vs “Homegrown Right-wing Violent Extremism on the Rise” Make up your mind folks. Is it the RIGHT wing extremist or the LEFT wing extremist we have to fear? I don’t have enough fear for both of them at the same time.
This was a confused young man. Other than the statement by friends that he had a rape/kill list, not enough is known about him.
Yet, it sounds like the shooter in Florida – who was reported to the police a number of times – and was still able to have guns…