Louisiana Movie Theater Gunman John Russell Houser Kills Himself, 2 Others

After a gunman opened fire in a crowded Lafayette, Louisiana movie theater, police identified the shooter as 59-year-old John Russell Houser less than 24 hours trailing the incident. Houser was described as a "drifter" who stayed under the radar in the Lafayette community.

Houser sat idle in The Grand Theatre's screening of Amy Schumer's Trainwreck for 20 minutes before quietly standing up, pulling out a .45 caliber handgun and unloading around 13 shots, killing 33-year-old Jillian Johnson and 21-year-old Mayci Breaux. The shooting left nine others with injuries, including Breaux's boyfriend. CNN reports that Houser originally opted to walk out of the theater alongside the alarmed crowd before changing direction back into the theater upon noticing police outside.

A teacher amongst the pack dove in front of a fellow teacher and companion, taking a bullet to the leg, potentially saving her friend's life. The same friend jumped up to pull the fire alarm which in turn, called authorities to the scene. According to police, Houser left his 1955 Lincoln Continental right ouside the doors to the theater, leading them to believe he planned an escape which was ultimately foiled by two expediently responding officers. The shooter then re entered the theater where he took his own life. A local sheriff, Heath Taylor, divulged information that Houser was being treated for mental health in his home state of Alabama between 2008 and 2009. Louisiana State Police Col. Michael Edmonson also disclosed that Houser had restraining orders concerning his bipolar behavior and manic depression.

Houser was posted up four miles north of the theater where police came across glasses, wigs and further disguises, signifying Houser planned the shooting. The licence plates on Houser's car also raised a red flag as they were recently switched.

Hours prior to the shooting, President Barack Obama delivered a speech on his unwavering decision to end gun violence. "If you ask me where has been the one area where I feel that I've been most frustrated and most stymied, it is the fact that the United States of America is the one advanced nation on Earth in which, we do not have sufficient common-sense gun safety laws, even in the face of repeated mass killings," he said, notes MTV News. Obama said he would not stop fighting for gun safety laws during the remainder of his presidency.