Many are mourning once again as somebody’s father, mother, son or daughter, died at the hands of a gunman this past Sunday. A gunman in body armor opened fire early Sunday in a popular entertainment district in Dayton, Ohio, killing nine people, including his sister, and wounding dozens of others before police ended his life, city officials said.
There have been at least 16 shootings so far this year in the United States with 4 or more people killed, not including the shooter, according to a CNN analysis.
These 16 shootings have resulted in at least 101 dead and 80 wounded.
Connor Betts, 24, was killed by police less than a minute after he started shooting a .223-caliber rifle in the streets of Dayton’s historic Oregon District about 1 a.m. Sunday, August 4th, in the second U.S. mass shooting in less than 24 hours. Police haven’t released further information about Betts or publicly discussed a motive.
His 22-year-old sister Megan was the youngest of the dead — all killed in the same area of bars, restaurants, and theaters that is considered a safe area downtown, police said.
Connor Betts, 24, was killed by police less than a minute after he started shooting a .223-caliber rifle in the streets of Dayton’s historic Oregon District about 1 a.m. in the second U.S. mass shooting in less than 24 hours. Police haven’t released further information about Betts or publicly discussed a motive.
His 22-year-old sister Megan was the youngest of the dead — all killed in the same area of bars, restaurants, and theaters that is considered a safe area downtown, police said.
Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley said the shooter was wearing body armor and had additional high-capacity magazines. Had police not responded so quickly, “hundreds of people in the Oregon District could be dead today,” she said.
Six of the nine killed were black, police said. Although they’ll investigate the possibility of a hate crime, they said the quick timing of the violence made any discrimination in the shooting seem unlikely. Police said Connor Betts, who was white, was killed in less than a minute by officers patrolling in the area.
They identified the other dead as Monica Brickhouse, 39; Nicholas Cumer, 25; Derrick Fudge, 57; Thomas McNichols, 25; Lois Oglesby, 27; Saeed Saleh, 38; Logan Turner, 30; and Beatrice N. Warren-Curtis, 36.
Beatrice Warren-Curtis and Monica Brickhouse were close friends, according to Facebook posts from friends who knew them. On Facebook, Warren-Curtis appears to have gone by the name Nicole Curtis.
“I was devastated this morning when I got the news and still don’t feel like I have a heartbeat inside of me. Nicole Curtis and Monica Storey Brickhouse were like two of my work daughters,” a friend, Tonya Amos, wrote. “I had the opportunity to manage and mentor them for some years. We sat beside each other every day.
We have laughed and cried together. Shared life stories and supported each other. These two ladies were very special to me. I’m sad and mad and this senseless loss. I cannot imagine how their families feel if I’m feeling this way. Lord have Mercy.”
According to Brickhouse’s Facebook page, she lived in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and was originally from Springfield, Ohio. She appeared to have a catering, design, and event planning business called Two Good Girls.
Mayor Whaley said at least 27 more people were treated for injuries, and at least 15 of those have been released. Several more were in serious or critical condition, hospital officials said at a news conference Sunday morning. Some suffered multiple gunshot wounds and others were injured as they fled, the officials said.
Betts was from Bellbrook, southeast of Dayton. Bellbrook Police Chief Doug Doherty said he and his officers weren’t aware of any history of violence by Betts, including during high school.