Sister of gunman among dead in Ohio shooting

Media captionCCTV footage captures moment of Dayton shooting

The gunman behind Sunday’s shooting in Dayton, Ohio, killed his sister and eight other people in an attack that lasted less than 30 seconds, police say.

Officers engaged Connor Betts shortly after hearing gunfire, as he tried to make his way into a crowded bar.

Dayton police chief Richard Biehl said that had he made it through the door, the loss of life would have been “catastrophic”.

The gunman’s motives are unclear.

At least 27 people were injured in the shooting, the second such attack in the US within 24 hours.

The gunman fired his first shot at 01:05 local time (05:05 GMT) in the Oregon district of the city centre, Mr Biehl said. Dozens more rounds followed.

Security camera footage shows dozens of people racing through the doorway of the local Ned Peppers nightclub.

Seconds later, Betts, 24, is seen running towards the venue and being hit by police gunfire as he reaches the door.

He wore body armour and came carrying extra ammunition for his .223-calibre assault rifle with high-capacity magazines.

“Had this individual made it through the doorway of Ned Peppers with that level of weaponry, there would have been catastrophic injury and loss of life,” Mr Biehl said.

The rifle was ordered online from Texas, police said, and there was nothing in his history that would have stopped him from buying the gun legally.

Media captionDayton shooting witness: “As you came outside, you saw the bodies”

The gunman’s sister, Megan Betts, aged 22, was among the dead.

“She was not the first victim, but she was one of the initial victims,” Mr Biehl said.

Officials said it was too early to speculate about motives.

But responding to questions about a possible racial element to the killings, Mr Biehl said there was nothing to suggest a “bias motive”.

Nearby hospitals had received 27 people for treatment, and discharged 15 of them, by 10:00 local time.

The Gun Violence Archive, which categorises mass shootings in the US as four or more people shot or killed, says there have been 251 so far this year.

Who are the victims?

Police listed all nine of those who died. They are:

Lois Oglesby, black female, 27
Megan Betts, white female, 22
Saeed Saleh, black male, 38
Derrick Fudge, black male, 57
Logan Turner, white male, 30
Nicholas Cummer, white male, 25
Thomas McNichols, black male, 25
Beatrice Warren Curtice, black female, 36
Monica Brickhouse, black female, 39

Who was the attacker?

Hours after he had been named by the media, police officials confirmed the gunman’s identity as 24-year-old Connor Betts from Bellbrook, Ohio.

Police searched his home on Sunday.

Image copyright
CBS News

Image caption

Connor Betts was identified as the attacker

Earlier, US media reported that his sister had been found dead in a car with her boyfriend. But police said the male she was shot alongside was a “companion of the suspect” and did not elaborate on the relationships.

“We don’t know the thoughts of the shooter,” Mayor Nan Whaley said.

FBI agents are assisting police with the investigation.

What’s been the reaction?

At a series of news conferences, Mayor Whaley asked people to think of those people “who went downtown on a Saturday night and thought they’d be safe”.

She said that the Oregon district was “one of the safest places in the whole region”.

Image copyright
EPA

Image caption

Shoes abandoned by those fleeing the gunman littered the ground at the crime scene

“Frankly, we’re at a situation now in our country that these are so random,” she said.

She also said the city had gone through a “really tough year”, drawing a comparison to a series of 14 tornadoes that hit Dayton in March.

“What really goes through my mind is one seems completely preventable,” she said. “I just question when is enough, enough.”

President Donald Trump told reporters that “hate has no place in our country” shortly before boarding Air Force One in Morristown, New Jersey.

Mr Trump said mass shootings in the US had been “going on for years” and had to be stopped.

When asked about possible gun regulations, the president said “perhaps more has to be done” to prevent shootings, but stopped short of making any commitments.

On Twitter, local-born singer Lizzo called on people not to “normalise” shootings, saying that her family in Dayton were safe “but that’s not the case for nine other families”.