A Nebraska man who told his Hispanic neighbors to "go back to their country" before shooting seven of them – including four children – in a racially motivated shooting, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, said police.
Investigators identified the shooter as Billy Booth, 74, of Crete, Nebraska, according to the Nebraska State Patrol.
Booth shot up four kids, between the ages of 3 and 10, at a house across the street from his residence Friday afternoon. Additionally, three adults between the ages of 22 and 43 suffered gunshot wounds as Booth unleashed a hail of gunfire on his unsuspecting neighbors.
The victims - who have not been publicly identified - all suffered non-life-threatening injuries, said police.
"I guess it was just a racist thing that happened," family friend of the victims, Joshua Morales, said, according to KETV-TV. "So, I guess the dude that shot them was just racist cause he shot a Hispanic family and he told a Hispanic family to go back to their country."
At least 15 people were home at the time of the incident.
"Investigators are still actively working this investigation to understand everything that occurred, but at this point, we don't believe there was any verbal contact between the suspect and any of the victims in the moments that led up to the shooting," Nebraska State Patrol Col. John Bolduc said over the weekend, according to NBC News.
Crete Police Chief Gary Young, Jr., said officers previously responded to a "single report from the victims that the suspect had flipped them off, told them to 'go home' or 'back to where they came from,' and to 'speak English,'" the outlet reported.
