Donald Trump says Texas gunman Seth Ator ‘a very sick person’, but dismisses need for stringent background checks

After the El Paso and Dayton shootings, Donald Trump initially indicated a willingness to support more stringent background checks on gun buyers

He has since seemed to more closely align himself with the gun lobby

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People gather for a vigil following Saturday’s shooting in Odessa, Texas. Photo: Reuters

Published: 4:36am, 2 Sep 2019Updated: 10:38am, 2 Sep 2019

As the United States grappled with yet another mass shooting event, US President Donald Trump said that background checks on gun purchasers would not have prevented recent gun violence in the country.

Gunman Seth Aaron Ator, a 36-year-old from Odessa, Texas, killed eight and wounded 21 more after fleeing a traffic stop on Saturday. His motives remain unclear.

State police attempted to stop Ator on Saturday for a traffic violation, when he opened fire. They say he went on more than 16km shooting rampage, hijacking a mail carrier truck and firing at random as he drove in the area of Odessa and Midland.

He shot more than 20 people with an “AR-type weapon” before being killed by officers outside a cinema.

Trump called him “a very sick person”.

Trump made the remarks to reporters at the White House after returning to Washington from Camp David. The president said he would be working with Democrats and Republicans on gun legislation when Congress returns this month.