Ohio authorities have identified the suspected gunman who opened fire on patrons at a bar early Sunday morning, killing nine and injuri...
Ohio authorities have identified the suspected gunman who opened fire on patrons at a bar early Sunday morning, killing nine and injuring 27 others 'in less than a minute'.
The gunman in the Ohio shooting was wearing body armor when he opened fire on patrons at a bar, killing nine and injuring 27 early Sunday morning 'in less than a minute'.
Dayton police said that an active shooter situation began in the Oregon District at 1am, but officers nearby were able to 'put an end to it quickly'.
Lt Col Matt Carper said at a press conference that the suspect, who was identified Sunday afternoon as Connor Betts, 24, of Bellbrook, was shot to death by responding officers.
Because officers were in the area when the shooting started, they killed Betts in 'less than a minute,' authorities said.
Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley said during a Sunday morning press conference that had police not responded so quickly, 'hundreds of people in the Oregon District could be dead today'.
Whaley said Betts was carrying a .223-caliber rifle and had additional high-capacity magazines with him. Betts opened fire on the Ned Peppers Bar from the street. Whaley said a community vigil is planned for 8pm on Sunday evening.
At least 26 others are being treated at area hospitals, though no details about their conditions have been released. At least one person is in critical condition.
Miami Valley Hospital spokeswoman Terrea Little said 16 of the victims were brought to the hospital, but she couldn't confirm their conditions.
Connor Betts, 24, the suspected gunman in the Ohio shooting was wearing body armor when he opened fire on patrons at the Ned Peppers Bar in Dayton, killing nine and injuring 27 others
Dayton police said that an active shooter situation began in the Oregon District at 1am, but officers (pictured at the scene) nearby were able to 'put an end to it quickly'. Lt Col Matt Carper said at a press conference that the suspect was shot to death by responding officers
Miami Valley Hospital spokeswoman Terrea Little said 16 of the 26 victims have been received at the hospital, but she couldn't confirm their conditions. Pictured are two staffers from the bar
Authorities said the gunman was carrying a .223-caliber rifle and had additional high-capacity magazines with him
Shoes are piled outside the scene of the mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio, Sunday morning
The Ohio shooting, which took place at the Ned Peppers Bar (pictured) in Dayton, is the second mass shooting in the US in less than 24 hours
Kettering Health Network spokeswoman Elizabeth Long said multiple victims from the shooting had been brought to system hospitals, but she didn't have details on how many.
Authorities said of the 27 injured, 15 have been discharged from the hospital and several people remain in serious or critical condition.
According to his LinkedIn page, Betts attended Sinclair Community College where he studied psychology between 2017-2019. He had been working at a Chipotle in Centerville.
Before Chipotle, Betts worked at a Marathon gas station.
'I was their go-to guy for anything that needed done - changing lights, painting the walls, covering shifts. Beyond that, I worked the weekend shifts for 3 years - Friday through Sunday, 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Unfortunately, I started school and Chipotle, and I had to drop Marathon,' he wrote.
The Ohio shooting is the second mass shooting in the US in less than 24 hours.
In a Facebook post, the bar confirmed that their employees were safe.
'All of our staff is safe and our hearts go out to everyone involved as we gather information,' the post reads.
President Donald Trump has been briefed on the Dayton shooting and is monitoring the situation, Deputy Press Secretary Steven Groves said.
In a series of tweets on Sunday morning, Trump said 'information is rapidly being accumulated in Dayton'.
'God bless the people of El Paso Texas. God bless the people of Dayton, Ohio,' he said in another tweet.
Democratic Sen Sherrod Brown of Ohio says 'thoughts and prayers are not enough' after a shooter killed nine people and wounded dozens more before he was killed by police in Dayton.
Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley (pictured) said during a Sunday morning press conference that had police not responded so quickly, 'hundreds of people in the Oregon District could be dead today'
An American Red Cross disaster relief vehicle has been set up outside the Dayton Convention Center, where families of victims were asked to check in
The suspect opened fire on the Ned Peppers Bar in Dayton, Ohio, from the street, according to witnesses
In a statement Sunday, Brown says he is angry that state and national lawmakers won't pass more gun safety laws.
Several proposals have been introduced in the GOP-led Legislature this session that would tighten requirements on firearms sales, transfers and storage.
A gun safety group is also pushing to change state law to require background checks on nearly all guns sales.
The Republican who leads the Ohio Senate also shared a statement praising the quick response from Dayton police.
Just before noon on Sunday, Bellbrook, Ohio, Police Chief Doug Doherty announced that authorities served a search warrant at the home of the gunman.
It is unclear what evidence has been collected from the home.
Nikita Papillon, 23, was across the street at Newcom's Tavern when the shooting started. She said she saw a girl she had talked to earlier lying outside the bar.
'She had told me she liked my outfit and thought I was cute, and I told her I liked her outfit and I thought she was cute,' Papillon said.
She herself had been to Ned Peppers the night before, describing it as the kind of place 'where you don't have to worry about someone shooting up the place.'
'People my age, we don't think something like this is going to happen,' she said. 'And when it happens, words can't describe it.'
Tianycia Leonard, 28, was in the back, smoking, at Newcom's. She heard 'loud thumps' that she initially thought was people pounding on a dumpster.
'It was so noisy, but then you could tell it was gunshots and there was a lot of rounds,' Leonard said.
Bodies of the victims being removed from at the scene of a mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio
The killer's identity and motives have not yet been released. Pictured are law enforcement officers at the scene in Dayton
Gov Mike DeWine issued his own statement before 7am, announcing that he's ordered flags in Ohio remain at half-mast and offered assistance to Whaley.
'Fran and I are absolutely heartbroken over the horrible attack that occurred this morning in Dayton, the statement said.
'We join those across Ohio and this country in offering our prayers to victims and their families.'
Authorities are working to identify the killer and to establish any motive for the attack.
'It's a very tragic incident and we're doing everything we can to investigate it and try to identify the motivation behind this,' Lt Col Carper said.
'We're still interviewing obviously a lot of witnesses as well as officers to determine if anyone else was involved.'
Police scanners initially stated a second shooter could have left the area in a dark-colored Jeep, but police later stated there was only one suspect who was shot dead.
The FBI is assisting with the investigation.
Officers were initially hunting for a second gunman who fled the scene in a dark Jeep, but police later said the only suspect was shot dead at the scene
Officers nearby the scene of the shooting were able to 'put an end to it quickly' and gunman was shot dead
#BREAKING: Just getting on scene in Oregon District. Dozens of police here. Working to confirm numbers and conditions on those shot. @dayton247now
In a Facebook live post, a witness claimed the the gunman was wearing a bulletproof vest and earmuffs.
He said: '[The shooter] came up with an AR-15, had a vest on, earmuffs, just started blowing bullets everywhere. I'm safe. There is casualties everywhere.'
The witness said the attacker was a 'white man in all black with an AR' who opened fire for 30 seconds 'killing or injuring 10 to 20 people'.
On social media, customers at the bar said that many people were 'piling on top of each other to get out'.
The Oregon District is a historic neighborhood that Carper described as 'a safe part of downtown,' home to entertainment options, including bars, restaurants and theaters.
'This is extremely unusual, obviously, for any community, let alone Dayton,' Carper said. 'In our Oregon District, this is unheard of.'
A family assistance center was set up at the Dayton Convention Center.
Police officers walking behind police cordon following the mass shooting in the popular bar and nightlife Oregon district in Dayton
Officers were near the scene so there was 'a very short timeline of violence', Dayton police said
Another witness said the attacker shot people sitting outside then tried to get into the bar but was stopped at the door.
James Williams: 'Sad people are not right. I'm safe. Happened right in front of the patio where I was sitting in front of Neds. The guy in front of Ned Peppers' door is the active shooter.
'He tried to go into the bar but did not make it through the door. Someone took the gun from him and he got shot and is dead.
'There are at least eight people dead right by the picnic table where I was on the street. A bunch of people taken to the hospital. I don't know how any... this place is a disaster.'
On Twitter, one witness said he was 'the next person to get my ID checked' in the line for Ned Peppers Bar, 'when dude started shooting five feet from me'.
In an earlier tweet, he said: 'Police just killed dude five feet in front of me... I can't go out in this city anymore.'
A man identifying himself as Jeff told local media he is a bouncer at a bar next door to Ned Peppers and was 20 feet from the gunman and saw the muzzle flashes.
He added: 'He damaged our city.'
Officers also reportedly checked other nearby bars to check if there are any further victims or if the attacker targeted other establishments.
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