Posted on 08/04/19
| News Source: Vosizneais
DAYTON, Ohio (AP)
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.