Seven Guatemalan immigrants were shot and wounded by a reclusive and confrontational white man in Crete, Nebraska. Authorities are considering the possibility of racial discrimination as a motive.
Around 4:30 p.m. on Friday, a shooting occurred in Crete when Billy Booth, 74, fired a shotgun from his house. At the time of the incident, there were about 15 individuals at the victims’ residence, mostly outside. Officials have reported that the shooter was located in his house during the shooting.
Crete, a community of around 7,000 residents located about 70 miles (110 kilometers) southwest of Omaha, was shaken by the recent shootings. The population of this diverse town is almost 50% Hispanic and nearly 25% foreign-born.
According to the Omaha World-Herald, Booth had a reputation for being solitary and avoiding interaction with his neighbors. However, when he did interact with them, conflicts arose.
According to Crete Police Chief Gary Young, the family had lodged a complaint against Booth earlier, claiming that he had made an offensive gesture towards them and asked them to “go back to where they came from” and “speak English.” However, the family did not go ahead with pressing any charges.
As per the spokesperson, investigators are still figuring out the motive behind the incident and have not excluded the possibility of a racial motivation.
According to the chief, the phrases “go home” and “speak English” are often associated with a negative connotation. “The context to ‘go home’ and ‘speak English’ lends itself to that,” he stated.
According to the neighbors, Booth also had conflicts with his white neighbors on the same street.
According to Dave Hansen, Booth’s neighbor, Booth had a strong dislike for everybody.