A "drifter" with anti-government views randomly killed two women in a Louisiana movie theater and then took his own life as police closed in, authorities said today.
The latest mass shooting to strike the United States came just hours after President Barack Obama said an inability to enact "common sense" gun controls was one of the greatest frustrations of his time in office.
Police said John Houser initially tried to flee after shooting 13 rounds from a single handgun into a crowded cinema in Lafayette, Louisiana.
But he turned around and shot himself dead when he saw police officers rushing towards the sound of gunfire.
Nine people were wounded in addition to the two women killed.
It was not yet clear how Houser -- a 59-year-old white man with a criminal record -- obtained his gun. Nor was his motive immediately known.
"Because of the brand of weapon it is, it's more difficult to trace," Lafayette police chief Jim Craft told reporters.
Investigators said they are looking into an online history which appears to include anti-government rants, conspiracy theories and Nazi-sympathizing views.
They are also examining his mental health history. His wife sought a restraining order against Houser in 2008 and reportedly had him involuntarily committed.
"We believe that talking to the family and talking to the friends and trying to look at his writings on the internet maybe we can figure out why he did it," Louisiana state police chief Michael Edmonson said.
"There's nothing to lead us to any indication that he had any accomplice or anybody is out there trying to do what he's doing."
Houser had been staying at a nearby motel where authorities found glasses and wigs apparently intended for disguises.
"He's kind of a drifter," Craft said, adding that Houser had arrived in Louisiana recently from Alabama.
It is possible that he may have been inspired by a 2012 theater massacre in Colorado that left 12 dead and 70 injured, Craft said.
Almost exactly three years ago, James Holmes opened fire on a packed screening of "The Dark Knight Rises" in Aurora, Colorado, in a meticulously-planned attack during which he wore body armor and used tear gas to prevent victims from escaping.
Jurors are currently considering whether Holmes, 27, should receive the death penalty.
More than 300 people were in the Louisiana multiplex when Houser began shooting indiscriminately into an audience of about 25 people watching the comedy "Trainwreck."
Seven people remained in hospital Friday, one of whom is in critical condition.
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal said today residents were coming to grips with the "random act of violence."
He praised the "selfless heroism" of two wounded teachers.
