Flags at half-staff for El Paso, Dayton shooting victims, Trump orders Sunday

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Sunday, August 4, 2019
Flags at half-staff: What are the rules?
When does a flag have to be flown at half-staff? Here are the guidelines from a proclamation from President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff to honor the victims of mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio.

Flags at the White House, government buildings, military and naval installations, naval vessels, embassies, consular offices and other locations will be flown at half-staff until sunset on August 8, 2019, per the proclamation issued Sunday.

"Our nation mourns with those whose loved ones were murdered in the tragic shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, and we share in the pain and suffering of all those who were injured in these two senseless attacks. We condemn these hateful and cowardly acts," Trump said in the proclamation.

"Through our grief, America stands united with the people of El Paso and Dayton. May God be with the victims of these two horrific crimes and bring aid and comfort to their families and friends," he continued.

A gunman armed with a rifle opened fire in an El Paso Walmart packed with as many as 3,000 people during the busy back-to-school season Saturday morning, leaving 20 dead and more than two dozen injured, police said. That suspect, identified as 21-year-old Patrick Crusius, has been booked into jail on capital murder charges.

Hours later, another shooting in a nightlife district of Dayton, Ohio, claimed nine lives just after 1 a.m. local time. That gunman was killed by police.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.