Nine people have been killed in a mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio, the city police have confirmed. At least 16 were hospitalized with injuries. The gunman was taken out by officers responding to the incident.
The shooting happened in the area of East 5th Street in the Oregon District of Dayton in the early hours of Sunday local time, and just hours after another mass shooting in El Paso, Texas.
Dayton police said the shooter used some kind of a long gun in the attack and most likely acted alone. They said they were working on identifying the gunman and establishing the motives behind his rampage.
Miami Valley Hospital spokesperson Terrea Little confirmed that they had received 16 victims from the shooting, but wouldn’t provide further details. Some earlier reports said as many as 24 may have been injured, but that figure was not confirmed by police.
Footage from the scene showed a heavy police presence in the Oregon District. According to the police, the FBI is assisting in the investigation.
The Oregon District is one of Dayton’s 10 historic neighborhoods, while East 5th Street is famous for a number of bars and restaurants. The shooting apparently happened at or near one of those establishments.
The violence in Ohio comes just hours after a mass shooting in El Paso, where a single gunman killed 20 people and injured 26 others. The assault at a Walmart store on Saturday was reportedly a hate crime targeting Hispanic people.
The shooter, whose identity was yet to be disclosed, also was killed, Assistant Chief of Police Matt Carper said.
The shootings occurred at 1 a.m. EDT in the 400 block of East 5th Street, police said. Though the area, known as the Oregon District, has many bars and restaurants, the incident occurred outside.
The rifle-toting assailant was killed by officers responding to the call. The FBI was joining the investigation.
"Downtown Dayton is a very safe area," Carper said. “This is unheard of and very sad. It’s a very tragic evening.”
Miami Valley Hospital said it received 16 patients from the shooting, but their conditions were not immediately available, said spokeswoman Terrea Little.
"We have few details at this point, but what we know is shocking and dreadful," tweeted Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, who graduated from the University of Dayton and represented the city as a lawmaker. "Over the years I have been to the Oregon District in many times. To see this happen there is devastating."
Written by The Millennial TV