Mass Shootings in El Paso, Dayton Leave 29 Dead

Two mass shootings in less than 24 hours left at least 29 dead and 53 injured, and the events shook a nation that seemed to have grown accustomed to the toll of gunfire in public places.

In El Paso, Texas, a lone gunman walked into a crowded Walmart Saturday morning, shooting with an AK-style semiautomatic rifle. Authorities were investigating the shooting, which killed 20 and injured 26 more, as a possible case of domestic terrorism and a hate crime because officials believe the suspect, a white man, was targeting Hispanics. He has been charged with capital murder.

Barely 13 hours later in Dayton, Ohio, in a downtown neighborhood crowded with bars and restaurants, a man wearing body armor and a mask opened fire with a .223-caliber semiautomatic rifle with a 100-round drum magazine. The suspect arrived at the scene with his sister, whom he killed in addition to eight others, Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl said.

The gunman was killed by police about 30 seconds after he fired his first shot, police said. That rampage left 27 injured. Officials in Dayton haven’t provided a motive for that shooting.

Both suspects used guns that they purchased legally, law-enforcement officials said. Officials described both investigations as in their early stages, and federal officials were looking for any connection between the mass shootings, said Emmerson Buie Jr., the Federal Bureau of Investigation special agent in charge in El Paso.

“Because these two happened so close, we’re going to make sure they’re not linked together,” Mr. Buie said Sunday.

Late Sunday, the FBI said it was concerned that “other domestic extremists could become inspired by these and previous high-profile attacks to engage in similar acts of violence” and urged the public to report suspicious behavior.

“We will bring the full resources of the FBI to bear in the pursuit of justice for the victims of these crimes,” Director Christopher Wray said.