A 74-year-old white man in Nebraska, described as reclusive and confrontational, shot and wounded seven neighbors who are Guatemalan immigrants. Investigators are not ruling out racist motives.
The shooting happened around 4:30 p.m. on Friday in Crete. About 15 people were in the victims’ yard when the man, Billy Booth, opened fire from his house with a shotgun.
Booth killed himself after the shooting. The victims, who are related and include four children aged 3 to 10, are expected to survive.
The incident shocked Crete, a diverse community of about 7,000 residents, where about 50% of the population is Hispanic and almost 25% are foreign-born.
Booth was known to keep to himself but had a history of conflicts with his neighbors. Police had previously received a complaint from the family that Booth made an obscene gesture and told them to go back to where they came from and “speak English.” The family did not press charges.
Investigators are still determining the motive and are not ruling out racial motivations. The police chief noted that Booth’s comments to “go home” and “speak English” suggest a possible racial motive.
Neighbors mentioned that Booth also had conflicts with other white neighbors. “He hated everybody,” said Dave Hansen, Booth’s next-door neighbor.