Seven shot, including four kids, by elderly neighbour who told them to ‘go back to where they came from’

Seven people, including four children, were shot by an elderly neighbour who had told them to “go back to where they came from”.

There were about 15 people at the home at the time of the shooting. Picture: KETV

Seven people, including four children — all of whom are believed to be Hispanic — were shot by a Nebraska man who had previously told them to “go back to where they came from” and to “speak English”, police say.

Billy Booth, 74, fired shots at his neighbours from inside his Crete home just before 7pm on Friday before fatally turning the gun on himself, Nebraska State Patrol said.

There were about 15 people inside and outside the home, though most of the victims were outside when they were shot.

Three of the victims were adults between the ages of 22 and 43 while four were children ranging in age from three to 10, police told KETV and NBC News.

Some of the victims have been treated and released. One is receiving treatment in Lincoln, while two are being cared for at Children’s Nebraska in Omaha. None of the victims suffered life-threatening injuries.

There were about 15 people at the home at the time of the shooting. Picture: KETV

All of the victims are believed to be Hispanic, police told NBC.

When police arrived, they found victims suffering from gunshot wounds outside the residence as well as the suspect inside his own home. A shotgun was recovered nearby.

Police said they did not believe there was a dispute in the moments leading up to the shooting but that Booth and the family had a prior history, including disputes over parking and other nuisances — as well as a report from someone who said the suspect “told them to go back to where they came from and to speak English”.

All of the victims are believed to be Hispanic. Picture: KETV

The Crete Police have responded to “several complaints” in the neighbourhood since 2021, most of which came from Booth regarding “driving behaviour” in the neighbourhood, Crete Police Chief Gary Young Jr. said during a Saturday news briefing.

“Not necessarily associated with the victims’ house, but cars driving too fast in the neighbourhood, improper parking, nuisance properties, quality-of-life type issues,” Mr 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’.”

Police said the family decided not to take the matter further at the time, and the situation had been resolved.

The elderly suspect had previous run-ins with the family. Picture: KETV

One of the victims’ friends, Joshua Morales, told the KETV he knew of the previous incidents involving the neighbour — and that he believed the shooting was racially motivated.

“[Booth] was supposedly telling [the friend’s] parents to go back to their country, and they got into problems,” Mr Morales said.

“And I guess until now the dude just shot the house up. I guess it was just a racist thing that happened. 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.”

Mr Morales said the shooter shot his friend and his friend’s mother, who took four bullets to the back.

A motive for the shooting remains under investigation, police said.

This article originally appeared on NY Post and was reproduced with permission