Nine people have been killed and at least 16 injured in a mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio, police have confirmed.
Photo: 123RF
First reports came in at about 1am local time (5pm Sunday NZT) of a shooting outside a bar in the Oregon district of the city.
Police confirmed they killed the shooter at the scene. Casualties have been taken to a number of hospitals.
The incident came hours after another mass shooting in El Paso, Texas which left at least 20 people dead.
"We had officers in the immediate vicinity when this shooting began and were able to respond and put an end to it quickly," Dayton Police Department wrote in a tweet.
The authorities have appealed for witnesses.
#OregonDistrict #update We had officers in the immediate vicinity when this shooting began and were able to respond and put an end to it quickly.
— Dayton Police Dept. (@DaytonPolice) August 4, 2019
Correction - shooting occurred at 1am...not 1:22am https://t.co/j61xlQwLFy
— Dayton Police Dept. (@DaytonPolice) August 4, 2019
Assistant Police Chief Matt Carper told reporters that officers on patrol managed to take down the shooter.
"Our people are very well trained for a situation like this," he said, adding it was "very fortunate that the officers were in close proximity".
Nothing is yet known about him, but Officer Carper said they were "anxious to discover" a motivation.
What happened in Dayton?
Footage posted on social media showed people running as dozens of gunshots echoed through the streets.
It is thought the shooting took place outside Ned Peppers Bar on E 5th Street.
A note saying staff members were safe appeared on Ned Peppers Instagram page and on the nearby Hole in the Wall bar's Facebook page.
Jae Williams told the BBC he was at a nearby rap performance when they were told to evacuate.
"I was very shocked," he said. "We all evacuated quickly and safely. We were told to avoid the Oregon district."
"I got to my car, I could see cops, multiple ambulances. When I drove past I saw a lot of cops and ambulances."
Emergency services gathered at the corner of E 5th Street and Wayne Avenue in the wake of the shooting.
FBI agents also arrived at the scene.
- BBC
