Several news sources reported a mass shooting event in Dayton, Ohio, in the early hours of Sunday morning — just hours after a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, in which at least 20 people were killed and 26 were wounded.
We are actively investigating an active shooter incident in the #OregonDistrict. Please avoid the area. More information to come.
— Dayton Police Dept. (@DaytonPolice) August 4, 2019
Local police have since issued an update:
#OregonDistrict #update Lt. Col. Carper: at 1:22am active shooter situation began in oregon district. The shooter is deceased. There are 9 others also deceased. At least 16 others went to area hospitals with injuries.
— Dayton Police Dept. (@DaytonPolice) August 4, 2019
The Dayton Daily News reported early Sunday that there were “at least 10 people dead and an unknown number of wounded” outside a bar in the Oregon district, a popular night spot in the southern Ohio city.
The newspaper also cited a Facebook post by an alleged eyewitness who suggested that the gunman tried to enter a bar but was kept out:
“He tried to go into the bar but did not make it through the door. Someone took the gun from him and he got shot and is dead.
“There are at least eight people dead right by the picnic table where I was on the street. A bunch of people taken to the hospital. I don’t know how any… this place is a disaster.”
The El Paso shooting provoked a now-familiar set of reactions, with Democrats blaming President Trump for racism and white nationalism, and vowing to pass gun control laws.
‘God be with you all’: Trump pledges full support for El Paso shooting victims as lawmakers also grieve https://t.co/gISsidBeWr via @usatoday
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 3, 2019
President Trump expressed solidarity with the victims and their families in El Paso.
UPDATE: AP reports – Nine people have been killed in the shooting. Miami Valley Hospital spokeswoman Terrea Little said another 16 victims have been received at the hospital, but she couldn’t confirm their conditions. Kettering Health Network spokeswoman Elizabeth Long said multiple victims from a shooting had been brought to system hospitals, but didn’t have details on how many.
The Oregon District is a historic neighborhood near downtown Dayton that’s home to entertainment options, including bars, restaurants and theaters. Police have not said where in the district the shooting took place.
The FBI is assisting with the investigation.
President Trump tweeted Sunday morning:
The FBI, local and state law enforcement are working together in El Paso and in Dayton, Ohio. Information is rapidly being accumulated in Dayton. Much has already be learned in El Paso. Law enforcement was very rapid in both instances. Updates will be given throughout the day!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 4, 2019
God bless the people of El Paso Texas. God bless the people of Dayton, Ohio.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 4, 2019
Police noted in a press conference that officers had been “in the immediate vicinity” of the attack, as the Oregon district is “a very safe part of downtown” and patrolled regularly. The suspect was said to be wearing body armor during the attack. No motive had yet been established.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He earned an A.B. in Social Studies and Environmental Science and Public Policy from Harvard College, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. He is also the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, which is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
Photo: file
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