Dayton gunman Connor Betts' obituary calls him a 'funny man with a kind smile', doesn't mention mass shooting or sister's death
The parents of Dayton shooter Connor Betts have apologized for the "insensitive obituary" for their son.
The obituary failed to mention the Dayton mass shooting where the 24-year-old gunned down nine people including his sister in front of a bar in the downtown Oregon Historic District of the city on August 4.
In the obituary, which was posted on the website of Conner & Koch Life Celebration Home, a funeral home in Bellbrook, Ohio, Betts was described as "a funny, articulate and intelligent man with striking blue eyes and a kind smile."
It states that Betts "passed away" on August 4 and that he loved reading Harry Potter, camping with the Boy Scouts, and playing baritone sax in the school marching band.
The now-removed page also included 21 photos of Betts from various stages of his life and included one from his younger days where he was doing martial arts, as well as a more recent one of him drinking beer and smiling with family members.
The obituary said he was a grill cook who loved video games and music, and stated that he "will be missed immensely by his friends, family, and especially his good dog Teddy."
The obituary omitted not only the mass shooting but also the death of his 22-year-old sister Megan Betts, who was one of the people he killed during his 30-second shooting spree.
Megan's obituary was published by the Dayton Daily News and referred to her 'Chica.'
It said she had graduated from Wright State University—the same university that Betts dropped out of in 2014 for a self-professed lack of "maturity"—in December 2018 with a degree in Earth Science and that she "hoped to work for NASA to be a part of exploring the viability of life on other planets."
"Megan was known as a loving, caring, and supportive friend, always ready to help and do anything she could to make their lives better. They will remember her laughter, her beautiful smile, and her kind heart," it read. "The world is a darker place without her."
Her obituary did not mention her brother or the mass shooting.
Betts' obituary quickly attracted the criticism of media outlets and online users, who slammed it for being "insensitive."
In a statement posted on the same website following the backlash, his parents Stephen and Moira Kathleen apologized for not mentioning the "terrible tragedy."
"Stephen and Moira Betts apologize that the wording of the obituary for their son Connor was insensitive in not acknowledging the terrible tragedy that he created," it read. "In their grief, they presented the son that they knew, which in no way reduces the horror of his last act. We are deeply sorry."