Shooter Who Opened Fire on Ala. Movie Theater Identified as Drifter by Police

Police are identifying the shooter who opened fire on Thursday afternoon in Alabama as a drifter who had planned an escape route from the theater, but ultimately killed himself when police arrived to the scene.

The tragic attack took place Thursday evening at the Grand 16 theater in Lafayette , when suspect John Russel Houser reportedly stood up 20 minutes into the 7:10 p.m. showing of "Trainwreck" and opened fire with a handgun, shooting the two people in front of him.

The 59-year-old reportedly shot off at least 13 rounds of his handgun, killing two and injuring nine shortly before authorities arrived at the scene.

Lafayette Police Chief Jim Craft told the Associated Press that it appears the suspect tried to escape the theater with the rest of the crowd, as he had parked his vehicle by one of the back exit doors.

When Houser saw police entering through the exit doors, he reportedly returned inside the theater and shot himself with the gun.

"It is apparent that he was intent on shooting and then escaping," Craft told the AP.

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal issued a statement during a press conference saying: "The best thing anybody can do right now is to think about them, pray for them," he said. "We will get through this. We are a resilient community. This is an awful night for Lafayette. This is an awful night for Louisiana. This is an awful night for the United States."

U.S. President Barack Obama issued a statement hours before the mass shooting saying that one of his biggest frustrations as president was the failure to pass "common sense gun safety laws."