Victims Identified in Dayton Mass Shooting That Killed 9, Injured 27
Authorities in Dayton, Ohio, released the names of the nine innocent people killed in a mass shooting early Sunday morning on the streets of a popular nightlife area.
The victims are: Lois Oglesby, 27; Megan Betts, 22; Sayid Saleh, 38; Derrick Fudge, 57; Logan Turner, 30; Nicholas Cumer, 25; Thomas McNichols, 25; Beatrice Warren Curtis, 36; Monica Brickhouse, 39.
Dayton police said that the shooter was also killed and 27 other people were injured in the attack, which began at 1:05 a.m. in the city’s Oregon District.
A source close to the investigation tells PEOPLE the shooter was Connor Betts, 24, of nearby Bellbrook. Betts died after being confronted by police within 20 seconds of opening fire, Richard S. Biehl said at a Sunday press conference.
“We believe he was planning this or something like this for a while,” the source says. “It’s too soon to speculate on why he acted when he did.”
Investigators are focused on Betts’ social media activity, and any other materials, such as journals, that may offer clues, the source says.
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At a press conference, Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley said the shooter was wearing body armor and carrying a .223-caliber rifle while also carrying high-capacity magazines.
Whaley said that if not for the quick police response, “hundreds of people in the Oregon District could be dead today,” reports the Associated Press.
The Dayton shooting followed a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, inside a Walmart in which 20 people were killed and 26 were injured.
NBC News, citing eyewitnesses, reports the Dayton shooting took place near the Ned Peppers bar.
In a Facebook post, the bar said, “We have police regularly staffed next to our business who engaged the shooter and neutralized the threat.”
