Ned Pepper’s Bar Vicinity, Oregon Entertainment District, Dayton Ohio

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Location: Ned Pepper’s Bar area in the Popular Oregon entertainment district, Dayton, OH

Date: August 4, 2019

Attacker: Connor Betts, 24

Victims: 9 killed, 27 injured

Weapon(s): Early report: Semi-automatic assault type rifle with high capacity magazine

Type of attacker: Hate/Anger

 

Description:

On Sunday morning at 1:07 am, August 4, 2019, 24-year-old Connor Betts committed the second mass shooting within 24 hours (13 hours earlier, Patrick Crusius, 21 killed 22 and wounded 26 in the vicinity and inside of the El Paso, TX Walmart). Riding to the Dayton entertainment district with his 22-year-old sister and a friend. He left the group for a short while and showed up wearing body armor, mask, and hearing protection. His semi-automatic rifle had a high capacity magazine capable of holding 100 rounds, although he had a little less. As he approached, he began shooting – killing 9 and wounding 27. His sister who accompanied him to the district was one of the nine killed. It was not clear if she was targeted.

 

The attack was rapid, and Betts was killed in less than 30 seconds at the hands of law enforcement who responded within seconds. With that 30 seconds, he had shot 36 people, killing 9. The attack reveals just how much damage can be done within a very short time period. The law enforcement rapid response is to be commended. It is clear the number killed and wounded would have been much higher had Betts not been stopped so quickly. He was familiar with the site and visited the night before.

 

It was later discovered that the shooter also had a shotgun in his car, although it was not used in the attack. Both guns were purchased legally. The dead ranged from 22 (his sister) to 57 years of age. It was reported the bouncer at the Ned Pepper’s bar prevented the shooter from entering the doors. The bouncer was wounded with flying shrapnel. Unlike the immediately preceding El Pass mass attack, there was no evidence to show that Betts had published a manifesto or had social media postings. For these reasons, motive was not immediately clear.

 

Betts had problems in school and according to reports from former students, was threatening, including keeping a hit list of those he wanted dead and a rape list of those he wanted to rape. He mentioned to others that they were on his list, including for rape. He showed others strange videos, including choking of others. There are reports of Betts actually choking others without feeling remorse, including a girlfriend. There are reports that he wanted to “shoot up the school” because he was bullied.

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Links:

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Timothy Williams and Farah Stockman, Gunman Kills 9 in Dayton Entertainment District, The New York Times, August 4, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/04/us/dayton-ohio-shooting.html

 

Ark Osborne, Bill Hutchinson and Christina Carrega, 9 dead, 27 injured in Dayton shooting; suspect's sister among victims, ABC News, August 5, 2019. https://abcnews.go.com/US/active-shooter-incident-investigated-dayton-ohio-police/story?id=64763090
 

Keith Biery Golick, Anne Saker, Kevin Grasha, Rachel Berry, Madeline Mitchell and Cameron Knight, Connor Betts: Dayton gunman played in 'pornogrind' metal band, had a 'kill list,' choked women, The Cincinnati Enquirer, August 7, 2019. https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2019/08/04/dayton-shooting-what-we-know-gunman/1916121001/