Seven people, including four children — all of whom are believed to be Hispanic — were shot by a Nebraska man who had previously told them to “go back to where they came from” and to “speak English,” cops say.
Billy Booth, 74, fired shots at his neighbors from inside his Crete home just before 7 p.m. Friday before fatally turning the gun on himself, Nebraska State Patrol said.
There were about 15 people inside and outside the home, though most of the victims were outside when they were shot. Three of the victims were adults between the ages of 22 and 43 while four were children ranging in age from 3 to 10, police told KETV and NBC News.
Some of the victims have been treated and released. One is receiving treatment in Lincoln, while two are being cared for at Children’s Nebraska in Omaha. None of the victims suffered life-threatening injuries.
All of the victims are believed to be Hispanic, police told NBC.
When police arrived, they found victims suffering from gunshot wounds outside the residence as well as the suspect inside his own home. A shotgun was recovered nearby.
Police said they did not believe there was a dispute in the moments leading up to the shooting but that Booth and the family had a prior history, including disputes over parking and other nuisances — as well as a report from someone who said the suspect “told them to go back to where they came from and to speak English.”
The Crete Police have responded to “several complaints” in the neighborhood since 2021, most of which came from Booth regarding “driving behavior” in the neighborhood, Crete Police Chief Gary Young Jr. said during a Saturday news briefing.
“Not necessarily associated with the victims’ house, but cars driving too fast in the neighborhood, improper parking, nuisance properties, quality-of-life type issues,” Young said. “There was 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,’ to ‘speak English.’”
Police said the family decided not to take the matter further at the time, and the situation had been resolved.
One of the victims’ friends, Joshua Morales, told the KETV he knew of the previous incidents involving the neighbor — and that he believed the shooting was racially motivated.
“[Booth] was supposedly telling [the friend’s] parents to go back to their country, and they got into problems. And I guess until now the dude just shot the house up. I guess it was just a racist thing that happened,” Morales said. “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.”
Morales said, the shooter shot his friend and his friend’s mom, who took four bullets to the back.
A motive for the shooting remains under investigation, police said.
