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Dayton Mass Shooting Latest: Shooter Identified
By: Michael Balsamo | Associated Press
Posted on:
The Latest: Source: Ohio shooter identified as Connor Betts
By MICHAEL BALSAMO undefined
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — The Latest on a deadly mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio (all times local):
12:25 p.m.
A law enforcement official identified the shooter who killed nine people and injured dozens when he opened fire in a popular nightlife area of Dayton, Ohio, as Connor Betts.
The official says Betts was in his 20s.
The official was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Betts was killed by police less than a minute after he started shooting a .223-caliber rifle into the streets of the Oregon District around 1 a.m. Sunday.
Mayor Nan Whaley says the shooter was wearing body armor and had additional high-capacity magazines.
A motive has not been released.
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11:15 a.m.
Staff of a bar in downtown Dayton, Ohio, where a shooter opened fire outside killing nine say they are left “shaken.”
Ned Peppers posted Sunday on its Facebook page that it’s “confused” why this shooting occurred in their “safe entertainment district.”
Authorities say the shooter opened fire in the popular nightlife area called the Oregon District where Ned Peppers is located.
The post said that police regularly staffed there “engaged the shooter and neutralized the threat.”
Ned Peppers said the bar is assisting police in any way they can. The bar remains closed.
The bar also posted that a bouncer was being treated for shrapnel wounds.
A message seeking further comment was left with staff.
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10:30 a.m.
The mayor says at least 27 people have been treated for injuries after a shooter opened fire overnight in a popular nightlife area of Dayton, Ohio, and was quickly killed by police.
Authorities say nine people were killed, not including the shooter.
Local hospital representatives say the injuries included gunshot wounds and lacerations. They say at least 15 of the wounded have been released, and several people remain in serious or critical condition.
Mayor Nan Whaley says many more people might have been hurt if police patrolling the area hadn’t been able to respond in less than a minute to the shooting. Investigators haven’t named the shooter or shared any other information about a motive.
Whaley says a community vigil is planned Sunday evening.
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10:15 a.m.
Attorney General William Barr has briefed on the deadly shooting in Dayton, Ohio, and the Justice Department is providing federal resources.
That’s according to a tweet Sunday morning from department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec, who calls the shooting a “senseless, evil attack.”
A shooter wearing body armor and carrying extra magazines killed nine people early Sunday in a popular nightlife area of Dayton. It was the second U.S. mass shooting in less than 24 hours. The gunman was shot to death by officers who responded in less than a minute,
No motive has been revealed, nor has the identity of the shooter.
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10:10 a.m.
A witness is describing the chaos that unfolded on the streets during the shooting in Dayton, Ohio.
Anthony Reynolds says he and his friends were leaving a bar in the Oregon District around 1 a.m. Sunday when they heard the first gunshot.
He says the gunfire was “rapid” after that and “people were just falling.”
The 31-year-old Reynolds says he got a glimpse of the shooter, who he says was dressed in all black and carrying a large gun.
Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley says the shooter was wearing body armor and had extra magazines for his .223-caliber rifle.
Nine people were killed and dozens more were injured before police killed the shooter.
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9:20 a.m.
Democratic U.S. 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.
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.
This is the second mass shooting in the U.S. in less than 24 hours.
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8:30 a.m.
President Donald Trump is saying that federal law enforcement is working with local authorities to investigate a mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio.
The shooting in Dayton early Sunday left at least nine dead and comes just hours after another mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, that killed at least 20.
Trump tweeted praise of law enforcement and said that “information is rapidly being accumulated in Dayton.”
In a second tweet , he wrote, “God bless the people of El Paso Texas. God bless the people of Dayton, Ohio.”
White House officials said Trump, who is spending the weekend at his New Jersey golf club, would be updated on both shootings throughout the day.
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7:30 a.m.
Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley says the gunman in a mass shooting that killed nine people in Ohio was wearing body armor and had extra magazines.
She says Dayton police officers patrolling the area fired on the shooter within a minute, killing him. She said “hundreds of people in the Oregon District could be dead today” if police hadn’t acted quickly.
The mayor said at a press conference Sunday morning that 26 people have been injured and are at local hospitals.
Officials say it’s too early to provide details on the suspect’s identity.
Whaley commended the “girt and resiliency of this community,” saying Dayton has been through a lot this year.
The mayor said she would provide frequent updates throughout the day with the next one scheduled for 10 a.m. EDT.
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7:15 a.m.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has issued a statement following a mass shooting in Dayton that killed nine people.
He says he’s ordered flags in Ohio to remain at half-mast in honor of those killed early Sunday morning in a popular nightlife district.
The statement says he’s offered Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley “any assistance on behalf of the state.” He commended first responders for their “bravery and quick response to save lives and bring an end to this tragedy.”
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7:10 a.m.
Two women who were in a bar across the street from the Dayton, Ohio, shooting say they are in shock.
Nikita Papillon says she heard the shooting and ran out of Newcom’s Tavern, where she saw bodies on the ground.
The 23-year-old says people her age “don’t think something like this is going to happen.”
Tianycia Leonard says she heard “loud thumps” she initially thought were people pounding on a dumpster. The 28-year-old says she then realized “it was gunshots and there was a lot of rounds.”
Police say at least nine people were killed and 16 others were injured in the shooting in a popular nightlife area. Authorities say the suspected shooter is also deceased.
This is the second mass shooting in the U.S. in less than 24 hours.
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6:30 a.m.
The mayor of Dayton, Ohio, has weighed in on a mass shooting that killed nine people and injured at least 16 others.
Mayor Nan Whaley tweeted that she was “heartbroken” around 6 a.m. Sunday, around five hours after the active shooter situation began in Dayton’s historic Oregon District.
She thanked first responders and said officials would share updates when they had more information.
Dayton police have yet to identify the suspected shooter, who was shot to death by responding officers.
According to the AP/USA Today/Northeastern University database, the Dayton shooting is the 22nd mass killing and sixth public mass shooting in the U.S. in 2019. It came just hours after 20 people were killed in an El Paso, Texas, shooting.
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5:45 a.m.
A police spokesman in Dayton, Ohio, says the second mass shooting in the U.S. in less than 24 hours took place in “a safe part of downtown.”
Speaking at a press conference Sunday, Lt. Col. Matt Carper said the suspect in the deaths of nine people was shot to death by responding officers in the Oregon District.
Police believe there was only one shooter. They haven’t yet identified the suspect or a motive. Carper said the suspect fired multiple rounds from a long gun.
At least 16 other people have been hospitalized with injuries from the early morning shooting.
No details about the victims have been released. A family assistance center has been set up at the Dayton Convention Center.
Sunday’s shooting came hours after 20 were killed in El Paso, Texas.
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4:35 a.m.
Police in Ohio say nine people have been killed in the second mass shooting in the U.S. in less than 24 hours.
Dayton police announced that the suspect in the early Sunday morning shooting is also deceased. At least 16 others have been taken to local hospitals with injuries.
Police say the active shooter situation began at 1 a.m. in the Oregon District, but that officers nearby were able to “put an end to it quickly.” The Oregon District is a historic neighborhood known for its entertainment offerings.
Further information, including the suspected shooter’s identity, has not been released.
The FBI is assisting with the investigation.
Sunday’s shooting came hours after 20 people were killed and more than two dozen injured in an El Paso, Texas, shooting.
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Per a police update, this story has been corrected to show the shooting began around 1 a.m., not 1:22 a.m.
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4:15 a.m.
Police in Ohio say they’re investigating a shooting in a historic neighborhood in Dayton known for its entertainment offerings.
The tweets from Dayton police early Sunday did not include further details, but described the Oregon District shooting as “a large scene and investigation.” Miami Valley Hospital spokeswoman Terrea Little said 16 victims have been received at the hospital, but she couldn’t confirm their conditions.
Police told The Associated Press that they did not have representatives available to speak to the media.
Video from the scene near downtown Dayton showed a host of emergency vehicles on a street that had been cordoned off.
Kettering Health Network spokeswoman Elizabeth Long said multiple victims from a shooting had been brought to system hospitals, but didn’t have details on how many.