DAYTON, Ohio, Aug. 4, 2019 (Gephardt Daily & UPI) — Ten people are dead and another 27 injured in the aftermath of a shooting in Dayton, Ohio, early Sunday, the second mass slaying within 24 hours in the United States.
The gunman, identified as 24-year-old Connor Betts of nearby Bellbrook, Ohio, is among the dead. So, too, is his sister, 22-year-old Megan Betts, according a statement made Sunday morning by the Dayton Police Department. Her connection to the massacre remains unclear.
Betts wore body armor as he attempted to enter the Ned Peppers Bar on East Fifth Street in Dayton’s Oregon District around 1 a.m., police said. He used a .223-caliber high-capacity magazine rifle and was wearing something over his face, the Dayton Daily News reported.
All of the victims, including the shooter’s sister, were shot outside the bar, according to Dayton PD.
“If the Dayton police had not gotten to the shooter in under a minute, hundreds of people in the Oregon District would be dead today,” Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley said at a news conference. “This is the 250th mass shooting in America. It’s sad that it’s in the city of Dayton.”
Thirteen hours earlier, 20 people died and 26 were injured at a Walmart Supercenter in El Paso, Texas.
“We had officers in the immediate vicinity when this shooting began and were able to respond and put an end to it quickly,” Dayton Police Lt. Col. Matt Carper posted on Twitter.
The FBI is also on the scene investigating.
“Happened right in front of the patio where I was sitting in front of Neds,” James William described on Facebook in a public post. “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.”
Graham Hunter, 24, of Dayton, arrived in the bar area with four friends as the shooting ended.
“Everyone was panicking and running around,” Hunter told CNN. “After the shooter was dead, everyone was just crying and stuff,” and he saw “bodies all over the place,” including the shooter.
Hunter described the entertainment district as a “nice spot” and where “everyone goes to hang out.”
The mayor said the Oregon District will reopen Sunday afternoon.
The Convention Center is being used for family members and friends disconnected from their family members and friends during the shooting.
The mayor said 15 of the 27 treated patients at various hospitals have been released.
Miami Valley Hospital, which is near the shooting scene, received 14 patients, communications department spokeswoman Terrea Little told CNN. Two others across its health system were treated, Dr. Randy Marriott said.
Kettering Health Network, which operates several Dayton area hospitals, including Kettering Medical Center and Grandview Medical Center, treated around a dozen patients, many with gunshot wounds to the “lower extremities,” Elizabeth Long, a spokeswoman, told CNN.
Gov. Mike DeWine posted on Twitter that his wife “Fran and I are absolutely heartbroken over the horrible attack that occurred this morning in Dayton. We join those across Ohio and this country in offering our prayers to victims and their families.”
He said the Ohio Department of Public Safety and the Ohio State Highway Patrol offered assistance to local law enforcement “as they investigate this heinous act.”
The governor, who spoke with President Donald Trump, ordered flags at half-staff.
Trump referenced both tragedies in Twitter posts Sunday morning.
“God bless the people of El Paso Texas. God bless the people of Dayton, Ohio.”
Minutes earlier he posted: “The FBI, local and state law enforcement are working together in El Paso and in Dayton, Ohio Information is rapidly being accumulated in Dayton. Much has already be learned in El Paso. Law enforcement was very rapid in both instances. Updates will be given throughout the day.”
Dayton Police first received notification of the shooting at 1:22 a.m. They say they will provide an update on the investigation at 4 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
Developing
