Gunman's sister found dead after mass shooting in Ohio kills nine

Police have identified the shooter who killed nine people in Ohio as 24-year-old Connor Betts.

Betts, dressed in body armour opened fire at about 1am on the streets of Dayton’s historic Oregon District, before he was slain by police. His killing spree lasted less than a minute.

One of the nine people he shot with his .223-caliber rifle, was his 22-year-old sister, Megan, who was with a male companion who was wounded, but expected to survive.

The Oregon District is considered a safe area, according to police. All the victims were killed in the same area of bars, restaurants and theatres.

Other than his name, police have not released any further information about Betts, nor have they revealed a possible motive behind the attack.

Six of the nine people dead were black. While police said they will investigate the possibility of a hate crime, they said given the quick timing of the violence, any discrimination in the shooting seems 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.

Earlier reports say from US media suggested Megan Betts, the shooter’s sister, was found dead in a car with her boyfriend, however, according to the BBC and other sources, that man has been identified as a companion of the suspect.

The first victim was unrelated to Betts, and was shot in an alley where the suspects vehicle was, according to NBC News.

Betts’ ‘companion’ was wounded, but is expected to make a full recovery and police have spoken to him, according to the New York Times.

It is understood Betts arrived at Oregon District with his sister on the night of the shooting, yet sometime during the night Betts split from the group he was with before he started shooting.

The shooting happened just hours after the mass shooting at a Texas shopping centre, where the 21-year-old suspected shooter killed 20 people.

Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley said the shooter was wearing body armour 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.

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.

Brad Howard said he went to school with Betts and had known him for two decades.

“The Connor Betts that I knew was a nice kid,” Howard said. “The Connor Betts that I talked to I always got along with well.”

President Donald Trump was briefed on the shooting and praised law enforcement’s speedy response in a tweet Sunday. The FBI is assisting with the investigation.

Gov. Mike DeWine visited the scene after earlier ordering that flags in Ohio remain at half-staff.

DeWine, a Republican, said policymakers must now consider: “Is there anything we can do in the future to make sure something like this does not happen?”

Whaley said the Oregon District is expected to reopen Sunday afternoon, and a vigil is planned for Sunday evening. The minor league Dayton Dragons who play in nearby Fifth Third Field postponed their Sunday afternoon game against the Lake County Captains “due to this morning’s tragic event.”

Sunday’s shooting in Dayton is the 22nd mass killing of 2019 in the U.S., according to the AP/USA Today/Northeastern University mass murder database that tracks homicides where four or more people were killed — not including the offender. The 20 mass killings in the U.S. in 2019 that preceded this weekend claimed 96 lives.

Since 2006, 11 mass shootings — not including the weekend shooting’s in Ohio or Texas — have been committed by men who are 21 or younger.

-With AP

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