Dayton shooter Connor Betts described himself as a ‘leftist’

Dayton gunman Connor Betts described himself as a ‘leftist’ who demanded socialism and was pro-gun control, according to his now-suspended Twitter account. 

The Twitter account believed to belong to the 24-year-old gunman, who shot dead nine people including his own sister on Sunday, regularly retweeted extreme left-wing posts and expressed hatred for President Donald Trump. 

His social media posts often showed support for Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders as he called for a ‘revolution’ against the rich.

Some of his retweets condemned police and applauded Antifa protesters, while others encouraged people to cut fences of immigration detention centers and showed disdain for ICE agents. 

The Twitter account, which used the handle @iamthespookster but had previously gone by the name @BettsConnor, was removed on Sunday amid speculation it belonged to Betts. 

His social media posts often showed support for Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren. In one tweet (above) he said he would vote for Warren over Kamala Harris because the latter ‘is a cop’

Before being removed, the account’s bio read: ‘he/him / anime fan / metalhead / leftist / I’m going to hell and I’m not coming back’

Before being removed, the account’s bio read: ‘he/him / anime fan / metalhead / leftist / I’m going to hell and I’m not coming back’. 

Just hours before the Dayton shooting, the Twitter account liked several tweets about the massacre in El Paso, Texas. One of those tweets supported gun control, while others suggested the El Paso gunman was a ‘white supremacist’ and ‘terrorist’.  

The final tweet on the account prior to the Dayton shooting was a retweet of a post saying that ‘Millennials have a message for the Joe Biden generation: hurry up and die’.  

While investigators continue to try to determine a motive for the massacre carried out by Betts, his apparent account offers a window into his politics and greater insight into his beliefs. 

It stands in contrast to the social media posts of the El Paso gunman given they appeared to support Trump. 

Though the Twitter account @iamthespookster does not bear Betts’ name, it does include selfies that resemble known photos of him.

Friends have previously said he ‘leaned to the left’ and – ironically – supported gun control.   

Last tweet: The account has now been suspended but on Saturday retweeted a message calling on the ‘Joe Biden generation’ to ‘hurry up and die’ 

Democrat: Shortly before the 2018 midterm elections the account urged its followers to ‘vote blue’ to defeat Republican candidates

Support: The account had also retweeted Vermont Senator and leftist presidential candidate Bernie Sanders

The left-wing tweets matches what is known about Betts, who was described by one former friend as ‘definitely not a right-leaning person’. 

‘His political views definitely leaned to the left. And believe it or not, he was actually pro-gun control,’ the friend told the Dayton Daily News.  

In one tweet published in June this year, he wrote: ‘I want socialism, and I’ll not wait for the idiots to finally come round to understanding’.  

Discussing the 2020 presidential race, he refused to support former prosecutor Kamala Harris ‘because she’s a cop’ but said he would ‘happily’ vote for Elizabeth Warren. 

He also approvingly retweeted Bernie Sanders when the Vermont Senator attacked the payday loan industry.  

Shortly before last November’s midterm elections he endorsed Democratic candidates, saying: ‘Vote blue for God’s sake’. 

In another retweet, he endorsed a sinister message that read: ‘Is climate change dangerous? Yes. But am I willing to make substantial changes to my lifestyle to fix it?

‘It’ll be tough to fit that many public beheadings of oil execs into my schedule but I think I can handle it.’    

Giveaway? This exchange from 2014 appears to reveal @iamthespookster’s true identity, suggesting that the account previously went by the name @BettsConnor 

Satan enthusiast? The Twitter account, which included a selfie of Betts smoking (above), had praised Satan multiple times 

In addition, the account suggests that Betts had Satanist sympathies. One selfie is captioned with the hashtag #selfie4satan. 

He also used the hashtag #HailSatan and in another tweet he wrote mysteriously: ‘Differing views on Satan, but all that follow the path are blessed’. 

Police have not confirmed if they believe the shooting was politically motivated. 

Betts’ parents have also previously shared memes and posts on social media showing disdain for the alt-right and the need for gun control.  

It comes as the gunman’s former classmates have said he had shown an interest in killing when he was at high school and was suspended for drawing up a ‘hit list’ of students he wanted to target. 

That followed an earlier suspension after Betts came to school with a list of female students he wanted to sexually assault, classmates said. 

He was singer in ‘pornogrind’ bands whose lyrics frequently included references to raping and killing women as well as necrophilia. 

Betts and his two bandmates with Menstrual Munchies were most recently seen in Chicago in June, it is reported. 

Others remembered how he tried to intimidate classmates and had ‘enjoyed making people afraid’. 

Betts’ parents have also previously shared memes and posts on social media showing disdain for the alt-right and the need for pro-gun control

His father shared his views on pro-gun control on Facebook with the message ‘let’s not repeat it’

Former Bellbrook High School classmate Addison Brickler rode the bus with Betts and said he taunted her regularly.

‘He was the bully,’ Brickler said. ‘He used to make fun of me on the bus, talk about my weight, make me feel bad about myself. He would laugh and think it was funny, joke about it. We thought it was a normal thing.’ 

Bellbrook Police Chief Doug Doherty said he and his officers had no previous contact with Betts and were not aware of any history of violence. 

Sugarcreek Township police said the only records they have on Betts were from a 2015 traffic citation. 

It is still unknown whether Betts targeted any of the victims, including his 22-year-old sister, Megan, the youngest of the dead. 

‘It seems to just defy believability he would shoot his own sister, but it’s also hard to believe that he didn’t recognize it was his sister, so we just don’t know,’ said police chief Richard Biehl. 

Any attempt to suggest a motive so early in the investigation would be irresponsible, Biehl said. 

Authorities identified the other dead as Monica Brickhouse, 39; Nicholas Cumer, 25; Derrick Fudge, 57; Thomas McNichols, 25; Lois Oglesby, 27; Saeed Saleh, 38; Logan Turner, 30; and Beatrice N. Warren-Curtis, 36.

Of the more than 30 people injured in Ohio, at least 14 had gunshot wounds; others were hurt as people fled, city officials said. 

Eleven people remained in hospital on Monday.   

Betts, who was wearing body armor and a mask during the massacre, was shot dead by police outside a bar about 30 seconds after he first opened fire 

The image above released by Dayton police shows the .223-caliber rifle and additional high-capacity magazines used by Betts to carry out the shooting

At about 1am on Sunday as the bars were getting ready to close, Betts started shooting at people outside the Ned Peppers Bar with his rifle. Surveillance video showed terrified people fleeing from outside the bar as gunfire rang out