'THEY'RE SICK'
Donald Trump blames ‘mental illness’ after El Paso and Dayton massacres as White House hits back at critics who say he’s responsible
DONALD Trump last night blamed "mental illness" for the double-massacre in Texas and Ohio over the weekend that left 29 people dead.
The president said the the two warped gunmen were "very, very seriously mentally ill" - as the White House hit back at critics blaming him.
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America has been left reeling after separate mass shootings in the Texas border town of El Paso on Saturday morning and 1,500 miles away in Dayton, Ohio, just 13 hours later.
Trump's political rivals - including some Democrat presidential candidates - have accused him of stoking racial divisions and not doing enough to tackle spiralling gun violence.
Responding to the devastating attacks in person for the first time last night, Trump said: "Hate has no place in our country."
Speaking as he boarded his Air Force One jet, the president praised the "incredible" first responders for preventing such "horrible" atrocities from being "so much worse".
'MORE HAS TO BE DONE'
Asked what he would do to front up to the gun threat, Trump added: "We have done much more than most administrations... but perhaps more has to be done.
"But this is also a mental illness problem.
"If you look at both of these cases this is mental illness.
"These are really people that are very, very seriously mentally ill."
He vowed to make a statement at 10am local time (3pm BST) tomorrow addressing the attacks.
WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR
- Texas suspect Patrick Crusius, 21, allegedly stormed a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, armed with an AK47-type rifle
- At least 20 people were killed while 26 were rushed to hospital - including a four-month-old baby
- In a manifesto, Crusius allegedly wrote about a "Hispanic invasion of Texas" and said he would "probably die today"
- US Attorney John Bash said the shooting in El Paso will be treated as a domestic terrorism case
- Prosecutors will be seeking the death penalty against Crusius
- Just 13 hours later a gunman killed nine 1,500 miles away at a bar in Dayton, Ohio
- Cops confirmed they had killed the shooter at the scene
- Police in Ohio named the Dayton shooter as Connor Betts and confirmed he killed his own sister, 22-year-old Megan Betts
SHOOTINGS THAT ROCKED A NATION
Dozens more were also wounded in the two mass shootings that came in grimly quick succession on Saturday morning and the early hours of Sunday.
The first massacre saw a young white gunman storm a busy Walmart shopping centre in the heavily Hispanic border city of El Paso as families did back-to-school shopping.
He slaughtered 20 people using an AK47-type weapon in authorities say appears to be a racist hate crime - and prosecutors are treating as domestic terrorism.
A suspect named as 21-year-old Patrick Crusius, from Allen, Texas, gave up to authorities without a fight - reportedly telling them he wanted to murder Hispanics.
Detectives are also investigating a race-hate manifesto apparently written by him and posted online before the attack.
DAYTON MASSACRE
Across the country, an armour-clad gunman opened fire in downtown Dayton, Ohio, early on Sunday - killing nine people and wounding at least 26 others.
The warped attacker, identified as Connor Betts, a 24-year-old white man, was taken down by police within 30 seconds - but not after claiming his own sister and her boyfriend as among his victims.
Authorities still did not know why he launched the cowardly attack, the city's police chief said.
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TRUMP 'RESPONSIBLE'
The carnage has shocked the country and prompted fierce criticism about US gun laws and President Trump's rhetoric from his rivals.
US Senator and Democrat presidential hopeful Cory Booker said: "Donald Trump is responsible for this.
"He is responsible because he is stoking fears ad hatred and bigotry."
And fellow Democrat candidate Beto O'Rourke - who is from El Paso - branded the president a racist.
Asked on CNN if he believed Trump was a white nationalist, he responded, "Yes, I do."
A visibly shaken O'Rourke added: "Let's be very clear about what is causing this and who the president is.
"He is an open avowed racist and is encouraging more racism in this country."
PRESIDENT'S PRAYERS
US Senator Bernie Sanders said he agreed that Trump was a white nationalist.
He told CNN: "It gives me no pleasure to say this but I think all of the evidence out there suggests that we have a president who is a racist, who is a xenophobe who appeals, and is trying to appeal, to white nationalism."
President Trump last night also insisted that he was "talking to a lot of people" to tackle gun violence - but gave no specifics.
Earlier, he offered his "prayers" on Twitter and ordered that flags on US federal government buildings be flown at half-mast until August 8.
MOST READ IN WORLD NEWS
His top White House officials also insisted the president was not to blame for the bloodshed.
Trump's acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said: "I blame the people who pulled the trigger."
He added: "Goodness gracious, is someone really blaming the President? These people are sick."
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CCTV shows cops take down Connor Betts after he opened fire outside a bar in Dayton, Ohio
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