Seven people, including four children, have been shot by a neighbor who once told them to “go back to where they came from” and “to speak English,” according to law enforcement.

Police in Crete, Nebraska, outside of Lincoln, responded to a shooting on Friday afternoon. The shooting victims, all of whom are reportedly Hispanic, are expected to survive.

Nebraska State Patrol has said that 74-year-old Billy Booth discharged his firearm at neighbors from inside his home before using the gun to take his own life.

About 15 people were present at the home with most of the victims outside when they were struck by the gunshots.

Police said that three victims are adults, aged between 22 and 43, and four are kids aged between three and 10. Some have been treated and released from hospital. One person is being treated in Lincoln and two others are being treated in Omaha, according to KETV.

Law enforcement found several victims with gunshot wounds at the scene on Friday, and located the suspect in his home. A shotgun was found close to his body.

Booth and his neighbors are thought to have had prior disputes but no conflict immediately preceded the shooting, according to police. Previous disputes included arguments over parking and other issues.

Nebraska State Patrol Col John Bolduc said during a press briefing on Saturday that several 911 calls were made about an active shooter situation at about 4.33pm on Friday. As police arrived at the scene, they could hear gunshots. A single gunshot was heard from a home across the street.

It remains unclear who lives at the targeted home and who was visiting.

“It was quickly determined that all gunfire had come from a single residence at 1810 Parkland Street,” Bolduc said, according to NBC News.

He said that a SWAT team arrived at the scene to detain what they thought was a “barricaded suspect.” Entering the residence at about 6.40pm, they found Booth dead.

“Preliminary investigation shows that all rounds fired by Booth came from inside of his house,” Bolduc said.

“Investigators are still actively working this investigation 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 that led up to the shooting.”

Crete police chief Gary Young Jr said on Saturday that since 2021 police have responded to a number of complaints, mostly coming from Booth, regarding “driving behavior.”

“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.’”

The family chose not to take the case any further, Young added.

“That resolved the situation, so we had no further contact,” he said, adding that there “could be” a racial element to the shooting.

“Certainly the context of ‘Go home’ and ‘Speak English’ lends itself to that,” Young said. But he added that the motive is still being investigated.

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On Friday, June 28, 74-year-old Billy Booth opened fire at his neighbours from inside his Crete home, Nebraska State Patrol said. He then fatally shot himself.

There were about 15 people inside and outside the home when the incident took place just before 7 pm. Three of the victims were adults aged between 22 and 43. Four of them were children between the ages of 3 and 10, cops told KETV and NBC News.

While some of the victims were treated and released, one of them is still being treated in Lincoln. Two are receiving treatment at Children’s Nebraska in Omaha. None of the victims sustained life-threatening injuries.

Police arrived at the scene to find the victims with gunshot wounds outside the residence. Booth was found dead inside his own home from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and a shotgun was recovered.

The incident

“Preliminary investigation shows that all rounds fired by Booth came from inside of his house,” Nebraska State Patrol Col. John Bolduc said. “Investigators are still actively working this investigation 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 that led up to the shooting.”

According to cops, there was possibly no dispute between Booth and victims in the moments that led up to the crime. However, in the past, the family and Booth have had quarrels over parking and other nuisances. Police also quoted someone as saying Booth “told them to go back to where they came from and to speak English.”

Since 2021, the Crete Police have heard “several complaints” in the neighbourhood. “Not necessarily associated with the victims’ house, but cars driving too fast in the neighborhood, improper parking, nuisance properties, quality-of-life type issues,” Crete Police Chief Gary Young Jr. said during a news briefing on Saturday, June 29, according to New York Post. “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.’”

At the time, the family did not wish to take the matter forward. The situation was resolved.

Joshua Morales, a friend of one of the victims, told KETV that he believed that crime was racially motivated. He said he was aware of previous incidents involving Booth.

“[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.”

A motive for the shooting is being investigated.

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (KNOP) – For our Sunday we saw partly cloudy and breezy; some isolated t-storms are possible with highs staying near 77. Monday we keep partly cloudy skies with another chance of afternoon/evening showers/t-storms; hotter with highs near 89.

Tuesday should be mainly dry with partly cloudy skies; still warm with highs near 85. Wednesday partly cloudy skies with highs near 88, with a slight chance of rain/thunderstorms after 1 pm and a chance of rain/thunderstorms for the night.

Thursday mostly sunny skies and a slight chance of rain/thunderstorms during the night, highs near 83. Then for Friday we’ll be mostly sunny but dry; highs remain in the low-mid 80s.

Saturday mostly sunny and highs near 89. Next Sunday highs near 90 and mostly sunny skies.

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