Early Sunday morning, an active shooter killed multiple people in Dayton, Ohio. The incident took place less than 24-hours after another massacre occurred on Saturday at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, killing 20 people.
The shooter, identified as Connor Betts, opened fire with a .223-caliber rifle in the Oregon District around 1 a.m. Betts murdered his 22-year old sister, Megan Betts, and eight other people near Fifth Street. He was then killed by police in less than a minute after the shooting started.
Aside from Betts’s sister, those murdered include 27-year-old Lois L. Oglesby, 38-year-old Saeed Saleh, 57-year-old Derrick R. Fudge, 30-year-old Logan M. Turner, 25-year-old Nicholas P. Cumer, 25-year-old Thomas J. McNichols, 36-year-old Beatrice N. Warren-Curtis and 39-year-old Monica E. Brickhouse.
In his statement, Dayton’s Deputy Director and Assistant Chief of Police Lt. Col. Matt Carper said, “This is extremely unusual, obviously, for any community, let alone Dayton. In our Oregon District, this is unheard of.”
At a news conference on Sunday evening, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine spoke to reporters about the situation. He stated, “This is a heartbreaking tragedy. It is the type of tragedy that you hope never comes to your state.”
“In this tragedy, we have to thank our first responders” Gov. DeWine added, praising law enforcement quick reaction.
According to reports, currently, fifteen of the 26 people who were injured have been released from hospitals. Others are still in serious and critical conditions.
Nia Primus
Publisher’s Note: The headline is intentional to reflect mainstream media’s tendency to show aggressive photos of men of color that play into racist stereotypes.
