2019 Dayton shooting

2019 Dayton shooting
Location	419 East 5th Street Dayton, Ohio, United States
Coordinates
Date	August 4, 2019 (2019-08-04) 1:05 a.m. (EDT (UTC−04:00))
Attack type	Mass shooting
Weapons	.223-caliber AM‑15 semi-automatic rifle with 100 round drum magazine
Deaths	10 (including the perpetrator)
Injured	27
Perpetrator	Connor Stephen Betts

A mass shooting was carried out in Dayton, Ohio, United States, on August 4, 2019, at 1:05 a.m. Eastern Time. Ten people were killed, including the perpetrator, and at least 27 others were injured. The gunman was killed by police within 30 seconds of the first shots being fired.

A search into the suspected shooter's home found writings that showed interest in killing people. A preliminary assessment of the writings indicated no racial or political motive. The attack was the second mass shooting in the United States in 13 hours, following one in El Paso, Texas.

Attack

At 1:05 a.m., eyewitnesses reported that a man opened fire at the entrance of Ned Peppers Bar in the downtown Oregon Historic District of Dayton after being denied entry. He was carrying an Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 with a 100-round magazine, and shot into crowds, killing nine people.

According to Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl, 20 seconds after the shooting began, law enforcement officers on the scene engaged the gunman. Within 30 seconds after the first shots were fired, the man was shot dead. Local police evacuated many nearby night venues, and warned Dayton residents to stay away from the Oregon district.

Victims

Miami Valley Hospital received 16 victims from the shooting, of which five were admitted and one was listed as in critical condition. Kettering Health Network, comprising nine hospitals in the area, received nine victims, with three in serious condition and three in fair condition. By 10:00 a.m. on the same day, 15 of 27 hospitalized individuals had been discharged.

Police reported that all the fatalities occurred outside the bar on East 5th Street, and that the shooter's 22-year-old sister, Megan Betts, was among those killed.

The nine fatally injured victims included five males and four females; six were black and three were white. Their ages ranged from 22 to 57 years old.

Perpetrator

Soon after the attack, law enforcement confirmed that the gunman was Connor Stephen Betts, a 24-year-old from Bellbrook, Ohio. During the day, police and the FBI searched the shooter's home and found writings that showed interest in killing people. A preliminary assessment of the writings indicated no racial or political motive. On a Twitter account believed to be registered to Betts, he described himself as a leftist, anime fan, and metalhead, with posts that opposed Donald Trump and supported Elizabeth Warren, gun control and socialism.

Two former high school classmates stated that Betts was suspended from school after he made lists of other students he wanted to kill and rape. The "hit list" was discovered in early 2012 and resulted in a police investigation. A classmate also stated that Betts was bullied and had planned to shoot up the school. The notion of Betts having been bullied was disputed by other classmates, who described him as a misogynist and a bully, reporting that he enjoyed scaring women while attending the school. According to law enforcement, Betts had no criminal record except for minor traffic offenses.

According to the authorities, Betts had additional magazines with him, and was wearing body armor during the attack. He reportedly ordered the semi-automatic gun used in the shooting online from Texas, and the gun was transferred to a local firearms dealer in Ohio, where he picked it up.

Aftermath

Members of the Southwest Ohio Critical Incident Stress Management Team met with law enforcement officers, who had responded to the scene, to help them process the situation. Members of the organization include mental health professionals, police officers, firefighters, medics, and chaplains.

The local blood bank asked for more donations following the shooting, and other companies and organizations used social media to promote donation drives, and community gathering locations to memorialize those wounded or killed.

Reactions

Following the shooting, Ned Peppers Bar posted a message on Instagram reading: "All of our staff is safe and our hearts go out to everyone involved as we gather information."

President Donald Trump tweeted, "God bless the people of El Paso Texas. God bless the people of Dayton, Ohio." In a later statement, President Trump announced that, following both shootings, all U.S. flags both domestic and abroad should be flown at half-staff until sunset on August 8. Regarding mass shootings, Trump claimed that his administration did "a lot" and also "much more than most administrations", but offered no explanation. Trump continued: "But perhaps more has to be done."

The mayor of Dayton, Nan Whaley, thanked the officers for a quick response, saying that it certainly prevented more deaths. She also spoke of how hard the day would be for the city and the families affected. Senator Rob Portman, a Republican representing Ohio, said that these "senseless acts of violence must stop", and that he was "praying for the victims and their families". Ohio Governor Mike DeWine also offered "prayers to victims and their families" over the "horrible attack".

Senator Sherrod Brown, a Democrat representing Ohio, declared: "Thoughts and prayers are not enough. We must act." Brown urged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, to start a United States Senate session on August 5 to "vote on gun-safety laws". Senate Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, made a similar call to action of the Senate as Brown. Schumer referenced H.R.8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 that had passed the United States House of Representatives earlier in February, stating that the Senate should also pass this. Representative Ted Lieu, a Democrat, asserted that McConnell was "blocking" the bipartisan proposal on "common sense gun safety legislation" from being voted on in the Senate.

The incident was mentioned by Pope Francis during a speech in St. Peter's Square on August 4, in which he condemned attacks on defenseless people and said he was spiritually close to the victims, the wounded and the families affected by the attacks that had "bloodied Texas, California, and Ohio".