At least ten dead and 26 wounded during a shootout at a bar in Dayton

A man wearing a bulletproof vest and full of ammunition opened fire early Sunday morning against a popular nightlife center in the American city of Dayton, Ohio, killing nine people, including his sister, and by wounding dozens of others before being shot by the police, said the authorities.

Connor Betts, 24, was killed by police less than a minute after he started firing a .223 rifle in the Oregon district of Dayton, around 1 am, in the second state-sponsored mbad murder. United States in less than 24 hours The police did not reveal details about Betts nor issued any hypothesis on the ground.

Sister Megan, aged 22, was the youngest victim among the victims, all killed in the same neighborhood of bars, restaurants and theaters, which until now was considered safe, police said.

For his part, President Donald Trump ordered a half-flagpole to wave the country's flags in honor of the victims of the Ohio mbadacre and another mbadacre in the city. from El Paso, Texas, less than 24 hours ago.

"The shooting started in the Oregon district around one in the morning," local police said on Twitter, noting that local officials had been able to "quickly end the situation." "The suspect was shot dead by officers who responded to the warning," said Lt. Col. Matt Carper.

At least 26 injured were transported to the hospital, authorities said.

Police estimated that only one gunman had participated in the event. "The suspect used a shoulder gun and fired several shots," said Carper.

Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley reported that the attacker was wearing a bulletproof vest and additional ammunition. At a press conference, he added that officers responsible for monitoring the area had killed the attacker in less than a minute. "Hundreds of people in the Oregon District could have died today if the police had not acted quickly."

Whaley praised "the certainty and resilience of this community," and said Dayton had suffered a lot this year. The mayor said she would come up with updated reports all day.

"The Miami Valley Hospital has received 16 victims," ​​spokeswoman Terrea Little said, unable to confirm her status. Health network spokeswoman Kettering said that several victims of a shootout had reached the organization's medical centers, but did not have any details on the total number.

Dayton has a population of 140,000 and is located in western Ohio, about 90 miles northeast of Cincinnati and about 120 miles west of Columbus. The Oregon District is a historic neighborhood close to the city center that offers many leisure activities, such as bars, restaurants and theaters. The shooting occurred in block 400 of Quinta Este street.

"Obviously, it's extremely unusual for any population, let's not say Dayton," Carper said. "In our district of Oregon, it's unheard of."

The FBI participated in the investigation. The authorities have set up a family badistance center at the Dayton Convention Center.

"My heart is broken," Mayor Whaley said around 6 am, thanking the emergency services for his work. Anthony Reynolds, another witness, said he and his friends were leaving a bar at 1 pm when they heard the shots. "Everything was so fast, we saw people fall," said Reynolds, 31. He added that he had had the opportunity to see the aggressor, dressed in black and armed with a long gun.

The staff of a bar affected by the events said it was "shocked" by what happened. The bar, Ned Peppers, on Sunday posted a message on his Facebook page, claiming he was "troubled" by so much violence in "a neighborhood of nightlife that was so safe".

The bar, which is still closed, announced that he was participating in the investigation. Shortly after, Senator Sherrod Brown (Democrat) of Ohio said that "prayers and thoughts are not enough" in response to the tragedy. Brown has expressed his anger that state and national lawmakers are not doing anything to restrict the use of firearms.

President Donald Trump tweeted his condolences to those affected and congratulated the security forces for their excellent work.

White House officials said Trump, who spends the weekend at his New Jersey golf club, is up-to-date on Dayton and El Paso events.

The shooting in Ohio took place hours after a young man fired on the crowd in a commercial area of ​​the city of El Paso, Texas, killing 20 people and more than two dozens of wounded. A few days earlier, on July 28, a 19-year-old boy killed three people, including two children, at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in northern California.