Seven people, including four children aged three to ten, were injured in a shooting incident in Crete, Nebraska, on Friday afternoon. The suspect, 74-year-old Billy Booth, was later found dead in his home from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The shooting took place around 4:30 pm on Crestline Drive, according to Nebraska State Patrol Captain Sean Caradori.
“It appears that all the victims of the shooting will survive,” Caradori stated during a news conference on Friday. Colonel John A. Bolduc of the Nebraska State Patrol confirmed on Saturday that Booth fired multiple rounds from inside his house. The exact number of shots fired remains unknown.
Bolduc mentioned that there was no verbal interaction between Booth and the victims immediately before the shooting. However, there was a prior history of tension between Booth and the victims’ families. Crete Police Chief Gary Young revealed that in May, the victims had reported Booth for making offensive gestures and telling them to “go back to where they came from” and to “speak English.”
When asked if the shooting might be racially motivated, Young responded, “There could be, we don’t know. Certainly, the context of ‘Go home’ and ‘Speak English’ lends itself to that.”
Initially, authorities believed six people were injured, but a seventh victim realized he had been injured later in the evening, Bolduc disclosed. The victims were taken to the Crete Area Medical Center, with some later transferred to other medical facilities for further treatment. “All of the injuries are consistent with shotgun blast injuries,” Bolduc said, adding that “most of the victims were outside the home at the time of the shooting, but at least one was inside.”
Although all victims are expected to survive, Bolduc noted that “recovery will be a long road for some of them.” A friend of one of the victims told ABC affiliate KETV that the shooter had previously made incendiary remarks before “shooting the house up.” He claimed that the shooter shot his friend and his friend’s mother four times in her back.
Officers heard “one single gunshot” from a home across the street from where the victims were found. They later discovered Booth deceased from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Two firearms were found in Booth’s house, but only one shotgun is believed to have been used during the incident. According to Bolduc, Booth was legally allowed to possess a firearm.
“All gunfire had come from a single residence at 1810 Parkland Street,” Bolduc said, which was Booth’s home and where he was found. Investigators do not believe there are any additional suspects involved. The investigation is ongoing as authorities try to determine a motive.
Crete Police officers, Saline County deputies, Nebraska State Troopers, and Nebraska Game and Parks officers responded to the scene, along with fire departments from neighboring towns. The Nebraska State Police SWAT Team arrived with multiple armored vehicles and breached the door of Booth’s home around 6:40 pm.
Caradori confirmed that no law enforcement officials fired their weapons. “I want all of Crete to know that this situation has been resolved and there’s no threat to the public,” Caradori said.
At about 4:33 p.m., multiple 911 calls reported an active shooter situation on the 1200 block of Crestline Drive in Crete, a town in southeastern Nebraska. Local officers and deputies responded to the scene, where they could still hear gunshots, including a single gunshot from a home across the street.
Approximately 15 people were at the home during the shooting, most of whom were outside in the yard. At least one victim was inside the home. It remains unclear who was a resident and who was visiting.
“It was quickly determined that all gunfire had come from a single residence at 1810 Parkland Street,” Bolduc said, adding that a SWAT team responded to the home to apprehend what was believed to be “a barricaded subject.” The SWAT team entered the home around 6:40 p.m., where they found Booth dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A shotgun was found near Booth’s body.
“Preliminary investigation shows that all rounds fired by Booth came from inside his house,” Bolduc said. “Investigators are still actively working 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 leading up to the shooting.”
Three of the victims were adults, ranging in age from 22 to 43, and four were children, aged 3 to 10. All the victims are believed to be Hispanic, according to Crete Police Chief Gary Young Jr. Six victims were initially taken to the hospital, and a seventh realized he was injured later that evening. Four have been released from the hospital, while three are still receiving care—two of whom are in a children’s hospital. All are expected to survive.
There was a history of complaints between the suspect and the victims’ families. The Crete Police had responded to “several complaints” since 2021, most of which came from Booth regarding “driving behavior” in the neighborhood. “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 Booth had flipped them off, told them to “Go home” or “back to where they came from,” and to “Speak English.”
A responding officer who interviewed the family and the suspect at the time was willing to escalate the case, but the family declined, saying they would contact the police. “That resolved the situation, so we had no further contact,” Young said.
When asked if there could be a racial element to the shooting, Young said, “There could be, we don’t know. Certainly, the context of ‘Go home’ and ‘Speak English’ lends itself to that.” A motive is still under investigation.
The state patrol said they were on the scene of “an active situation” on the east side of Crete Friday evening and warned the public to “stay clear of the area.” “The active situation has been resolved. There is no threat to the public,” state patrol posted on X an hour later.
Authorities are asking anyone with information on the case to come forward. The shooting remains under investigation.
Source: NBCNews.com
