Trump Admits 'More Has To Be Done' On Gun Control, Shooting Suspects Have 'Mental Illness'

President Donald Trump is being called to account as a catalyst for one of two mass shootings where a total of 29 persons were murdered in a span of 13 hours at El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio on Aug. 3 and 4.

There have now been three mass shootings over the last eight days, including the rampage at Gilroy, California where three people were shot dead.

Instead of condemning white supremacy, which was clearly identified as the reason for the massacre at El Paso on Aug. 3, Trump said this case and the one at Dayton were only examples of a "mental illness problem." His chief-of-staff Mick Mulvaney also attributed the shootings to mental illness ahead of Trump's statement.

Returning from a weekend of golfing, Trump extended his condolences to the people of El Paso and Dayton. He thanked law enforcement and said the job they've done is incredible.

"Condolences to all ... and we have to get it stopped," in reference to the unending spate of mass shootings in the U.S. “We’ve done actually a lot but perhaps more has to be done,” he added, pertaining to gun control laws in the country.

Trump, however, ignored questions from reporters about white nationalism. There is no word if Trump will visit either El Paso or Dayton.

Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke, who was once a congressman representing El Paso, asserts Trump's anti-migrant rhetoric has stoked racism in the United States and led directly to increased violence such as the mass shooting in El Paso.

“We’ve had a rise in hate crimes every single one of the last three years during an administration where you have a president who has called Mexicans rapists and criminals, though Mexican immigrants commit crimes at a far lower rate than people born in this country," said O'Rourke in a chance interview with reporters.

“He has tried to make us afraid of them … attempting to ban all Muslims from this country. The day that he signed that executive order the mosque in Victoria, Texas was burned to the ground. Those chants that we heard in Greenville North Carolina -- ‘send her back’ -- talking about fellow American citizens duly elected to represent their constituents in Congress.”

“He is a racist. He is stoking racism in this country ... and it fundamentally changes the character of the country and leads to violence.”

Asked if the El Paso shooting was Trump’s fault for inflaming hatred, O'Rourke responded, “Yes."

When O'Rourke was still a congressman, he said El Paso's being constantly cited as the safest city in the USA with a population of more than 500,000 is proof Texas’ border with Mexico is safe, despite comments to the contrary by Trump and his Republican supporters.

With a population of more than 680,000, El Paso is 80 percent Hispanic.

The Texas shooting Saturday is now being described by El Paso Police Department (EPPD) as a hate crime and an act of domestic terrorism after authorities came across a four-page manifesto from the shooter revealing his hatred of Hispanics.

The El Paso gunman, Patrick Crusius, surrendered to the EPPD officers after murdering 20 persons and wounding 26 others at about 10:00 a.m. on Aug.3. Texas is a gun rights state.

Six of the dead and nine of the wounded are Mexican citizens.

The murderer described the Walmart attack as “a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas.” Crusius' manifesto, which he posted online 20 minutes before the attack, says the influx of Hispanics into the U.S. will replace aging white voters. This flood of Hispanics will turn Texas into a Blue State controlled by the Democratic Party, and allow Democrats to win back the presidency from Republicans.

Crusius shot his victims with an automatic rifle in and outside of a Walmart Supercenter along Gateway Boulevard West. Walmart admitted it did not have a single security guard on duty the day of the massacre.

From 2016 to 2018, El Paso was ranked the safest of its size in the country by Congressional Quarterly Inc., a publication that reports extensively on the U.S. Congress. This is a statistic often cited by opponents of Trump's anti-immigrant policies. El Paso sits along Texas’ border with Mexico.

Crusius has been charged with capital murder, meaning the death penalty if convicted.

The slaughter of 29 innocent persons follows two weeks of racist statements made by Trump attacking four Democratic congresswomen of color and another Democrat, an African-American senator from what Trump derided as the "rat-infested" city of Baltimore.

Crusius, 21, made the nine-hour, 1,600 mile drive from his hometown of Allen, Texas to carry out what is now the eighth deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. Allen is a suburb of Dallas and is located close to 660 miles to the east of El Paso.

The fact Crusius chose to commit his crime not in his hometown but in a distant location mirrors the path taken by the New Zealand murderer who gunned down 50 Muslims in Christchurch, New Zealand last March 15. The gunman was an Australian citizen who traveled to New Zealand to commit his grisly murders.

EPPD police chief Greg Allen on Saturday evening said that authorities are examining a manifesto from Crusius. Allen said "there is a potential nexus to a hate crime."

The four-page document posted online champions blatantly racist and white nationalist views. It pours hate on immigrants and Hispanics, and blames immigrants and first-generation Americans for taking away jobs and for the blending of cultures in the U.S.

"Right now, we have a manifesto from this individual that indicates to some degree he has a nexus to a potential hate crime," said Allen.

The Dayton shooter struck at about 1:00 a.m. at the Oregon District, which is known for its clubs and nightlife. Wearing body armor and toting an "AK-like" automatic rifle with a caliber of 5.56×45mm NATO (.223 cal.), the gunman shot nine persons to death and wounded 27 others. One of the wounded remains in critical condition.

The shooter was later killed in a gun battle with officers of the Dayton Police Department (DPD). In a press briefing only a few hours after the shooting, Dayton mayor Nan Whaley said DPD officers "neutralized" the killer after just one minute. She said the Oregon District will repoen Sunday evening.

There is speculation the Dayton shooting is a copycat shooting coming as it did only a few hours after the El Paso event.

The slain shooter was later identified as Connor Stephen Betts, 24, by DPD police chief Richard Biehl during a press briefing at 4:00 p.m. Sunday. Biehl said Betts had a minimal criminal record that includes traffic violations.

He revealed Betts was armed with a “.223 caliber light rifle” with a 100 round double-drum magazine.

He said DPD officers on patrol at the Oregon District traded fire with Betts only 30 seconds after the shooter opened fire. Betts was masked, had a bullet-proof vest and was also armed with two pistols.

An intriguing angle is that among the slain was Meghan Betts, the shooter's sister. Her male companion, who was identified as her boyfriend, was wounded. Biehl said Betts, his sister and her boyfriend arrived at the Oregon District in the same car.

He told reporters he has no idea if this shooting was inspired by the El Paso murders.