The Dayton gunman was reportedly photographed and interviewed while wielding a semi-automatic weapon at an anti-Klan rally.
According to a report Tuesday in the Dayton Daily News, Connor Betts was among the hundreds of demonstrators protesting a May 25 march of nine Ku Klux Klan members in that Ohio city.
“He spoke briefly with a reporter in the crowd during the event. He carried a gun which appeared to be similar in style to the one used in Sunday’s shooting,” the Daily News wrote.
Betts also was covering his face with sunglasses and a bandanna, the newspaper reported.
About 10 weeks later, Betts, a registered Democrat and self-identified “leftist” who admired Sen. Elizabeth Warren, would kill nine people and injure dozens more using a modified semi-automatic pistol in a Dayton bar district. He was shot and killed by police less than 30 seconds into his rampage.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
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