Alexandro Paporakis, the Illinois gunman whose jammed rifle thwarted a massacre at a Hindu temple near Chicago
TOI correspondent from Washington: A 19-year-old neo-Nazi teen’s reported use of cross-sex hormones has added a contentious dimension to an attempted mass shooting at a Hindu temple in Illinois, while in a separate incident, a 16-year-old with access to guns murdered three children and a teacher in a school in Oregon as America’s epidemic of gun violence continues unabated.
“I am horrified that a white supremacist attempted to carry out a mass shooting targeting Indian Americans at the Hindu temple in Aurora where my family worships,” the Illinois Democrat said, warning that anti-Indian hatred and white supremacy had become dangerous and authorities must take threats seriously before innocent people are killed. Reports that Alexandro Paporakis, the Illinois gunman whose jammed rifle thwarted a carnage at a Hindu temple near Chicago and who was receiving cross-sex hormone therapy and that a judge had ordered treatment to continue in custody was the digression US gun enthusiasts leaned into to argue guns are not the problem.
The Illinois case has also acquired a personal dimension for local Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi , who said he and his family were present when the alleged attack was attempted Sunday.
Court reporting also cited anxiety, depression and other medical treatment the teen was going through, although these issues and reported gender transition were not seen as evidence of a motive, at least initially, for the alleged attack.