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A gunman opened fire on a bank in downtown Cincinnati on Thursday morning, fatally wounding three people and wounding two others, police officials said. The suspect was later killed by the police.
The gunman opened fire on the loading dock at Fifth Third Bank building at around 9:10 am, police chief Eliot K. Isaac told a news conference.
The gunman, identified by the police as 29-year-old Omar Enrique Perez, then entered the lobby of the bank and shot inside, said Isaac.
"When the officers approached the hall of the fifth center, they met a sniper who was actively shooting in the first floor hall," he said. "Four of the responding officers engaged the shooter with their firearms, having hit him several times," he said.
Five people were shot dead by the suspect, the police said. One victim died on the scene and four other victims were taken to a hospital, where two of these people died, said Isaac.
The two wounded were in critical and fair condition, said the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. The suspect was dead on the scene, said Isaac. The police chief stated that the shooter acted alone.
"There was certainly a lot of blood," said a witness, Zach Fritzhand, at Cincinnati Enquirer.
A motive for the shoot is still under investigation.
Isaac stated that the shooter was armed with a 9mm semi-automatic pistol and that he had several magazines carrying "a significant quantity of ammunition", which he said was about 200 rounds. Police believe that the firearm was legally purchased, he added.
"There may be some mental health problems here, but again, the survey only takes a few hours," said Isaac. "We are still trying to determine the motive, there is nothing to let us say why he would do such a horrible thing."
Perez is not a current or former employee of the bank, and investigators are unaware of any jobs from surrounding businesses, Isaac said. On Thursday afternoon, the police found no negative interaction with the bank, he added.
Police searched the suspect's home in North Bend, Ohio, said Isaac. He has been living in the area since 2015, he said.
John Cranley, the mayor of the city, said the violence "could have been much, much more serious," without the police's quick reaction, adding that the police appeared to be on the scene in "seconds".
He thanked the first responders for doing "heroic work".
"It's heartbreaking.This is not normal, and it should not be considered normal," Cranley said, adding that "the job here is very sick" and that the country has to deal with armed violence.
Ohio Governor John Kasich tweeted that he had been in contact with local officials about what he described as a "foolish act".
One of his employees, Richard Newcomer, 64, said one of Gilbane Building Company's spokespersons had been a superintendent for three years and was part of a third-floor project. Spokesman Wes Cotter said the newcomer "was just in the wrong place at the wrong time" at the time of filming.
"We could not be more afflicted," he said.
A woman working near Fountain Square, a food and entertainment center near the scene, told NBC News that she had been alerted by colleagues in her office.
"My colleagues and I have seen [an] an injured woman lying under the flag pole with a white shirt covered in blood, "said Courtney Bellish, 22.
The three people killed were identified by the Hamilton County Coroner's Office, Pruthvi Raj Kandepi, Richard Newcomer and Luis Felipe Calderón.
Newcomer, 64, was director of the Gilbrane Building Company, which worked with tradespeople and was part of a project on the third floor of the building, said company spokesman Wes Cotter.
The newcomer "was just in the wrong place at the wrong time" during the shootout, Cotter said. "We could not be more afflicted."
Jaenetta Cook, who runs Servatii Bakery on the first floor of the building, said she was eager to lock the door when she heard the first two shots. Then she heard more than "sound like they were getting closer and closer," the Associated Press reported. Cook said that she and two other employees had been hiding in the bathroom for the duration of the filming.
"I went out to see my children, to see another day," she said emphasizing.
Leonard Cain told Cincinnati Enquirer that he had seen a woman wearing headphones being shot while she was entering the building. He said that she fell to the ground and that everyone started running.
In a statement posted on TwitterFifth Third Bank said, "His thoughts and prayers are with everyone who has been involved in this terrible event."
Fifth Third operates approximately 1,200 branches in 10 states. Isaac said the video was captured by police force cameras and that there are pictures of the bank and around Fountain Square.
The Cincinnati Reds baseball team tweeted A moment of silence would be held Thursday night's home game against the San Diego Padres in honor of the victims before the singing of the national anthem.
"The thoughts and prayers of our entire organization go to the victims of today's tragedy, as well as to their families and friends," the team said in a statement on Twitter. "We also thank the first responders in our big city, who put themselves in danger every day for the safety of all."
Isaac thanked the efforts of the officers who responded and said that they had stopped what could have been a bigger shot.
"Their courage and their heroic actions prevented this shooter from continuing to do more harm," he said.
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