Richard Newcomer, a construction supervisor in downtown Cincinnati, was the first victim identified in the mass shooting that claimed the lives of three people outside a bank. The other two victims were named as Pruthvi Kandepi, an Indian man who was a financial consultant, and Luis Felipe Calderón, a bank manager.
In addition, the shooter died at the scene. The gunman killed three people and injured two others in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio at what is known as the 5/3 building. The scene was quickly secured when police rushed to the scene and confronted the shooter, exchanging gunfire with him.
The shooter, who has been identified as Omar Santa Perez, an Ohio man, was reportedly dressed in business casual clothes and carrying a briefcase before opening fire at people at a downtown bank.
It appears they are letting small groups of people out of the building at a time. Witnesses say the shooter was dressed in business casual with a briefcase.
Cincinnati police revealed that five victims were injured in all and three are deceased. In a press conference, authorities called it a “horrific situation.” The mayor praised the “heroism” of the police and firefighters. “Apparently there were shots below, and then he moved up to the lobby. He was actively shooting innocent victims,” the mayor added. “It could have been much, much worse” without the quick law enforcement intervention, he said. The mayor said his dad used to work in the building. “It could have been any one of us,” he said.
You can see mini profiles of each victim below.
Richard Newcomer
Cincinnati.com identified Richard Newcomer as the first victim named. Although he was not identified by authorities, the Cincinnati newspaper reported that he was identified by colleagues and friends.
Gilbane Building Company has confirmed one of the shooting victims is Richard Newcomer, 64. He was a superintendent on a construction job on the third floor of the building and was “there at the wrong time.” Spokesperson says “It’s been a terrible day for us.” @WLWT
According to the newspaper, Newcomer was 64, and he had “worked at Gilbane Building Co. for three years and was a superintendent of a project going on at Fifth Third Center.”
“It’s such a tragedy. There are no words to describe how we’re feeling,” said Wes Cotter, a spokesman for the company, told Cincinnati.com. “Our thoughts and prayers are going out to his family.”
Rick Newcomer. Luis Felipe Calderon. Pruthvi Raj Kandepi. Whitney Austin. Brian Sarver.
Remember these names.
@Angenette5 has more: t.co/H58SDgPfTl
On LinkedIn, Newcomer described himself as “Experienced with all aspects of commercial construction. Planning Design Assistance Drawing QA/QC Scheduling Leading Contractors during construction Turnover HVAC, Plumbing, Fire Protection and Site Utilities Estimating.”
In 2015, he defined himself as a “job seeker,” and wrote, “Most recently planned phasing and scheduling of a $55 million renovation and additions to an occupied high school. Worked with the Design Team to assure design worked with phasing and constraints presented by an 80 year old building. Worked with the school staff to minimize disruption to learning environment and assure student and staff safety. Provided HVAC, Plumbing, Fire Protection and Site Utilities cost estimates to stay withing budget. Assured designs met requirements of the Ohio School Facilities Manual. Lead the construction team to successfully execute the plan per schedule.”
He had worked as a superintendent for other construction companies in Ohio. He had an associate’s degree in civil engineering from Cincinnati State Technical and Community College.
Pruthvi Kandepi
25-year-old Prudhvi Kandepi was one of the victims killed in the Fifth Third Center shooting downtown Thursday.
His neighbor in Silverton spoke to Local 12 about how she remembers him as a quiet, respectful man who was always smiling and loved Cincinnati: t.co/M90IeRfDpf
Pruthvi Kandepi was from India and worked as a financial consultant, according to Hindustan Times. The newspaper reported that he was due to return to India, where his family was planning his marriage. He was only 25-years-old.
According to the Times, Kandepi’s “father Kandepi Gopinath is a deputy executive engineer in the Andhra Pradesh Housing Corporation head office at Tadepalli in Guntur district. His mother Sudha Rani is a home maker.”
The newspaper reported that Kandepi had arrived in the U.S. six years ago, and he had worked at the bank where the mass shooting occurred for half that time. According to WKRC-TV, a neighbor described Kandepi as a “quiet, respectful” man who always had a smile on his face and loved the city.
Luis Felipe Calderón
The level of support our City has received in light of the tragic events earlier this week has been extraordinary. Reminder to just at Fountain Square at 4 pm as we remember the lives of Pruthvi Raj Kandepi, 25; Richard Newcomer, 64; and Luis Felipe Calderon, 48. #CincyStrong
Luis Felipe Calderón was also identified as a victim in the mass shooting. According to Local 12, he was a manager at the bank. He was 48 and moved to the city a year ago, the television station reported.
“Luis Calderon, was a resident of Fox Chase North. He was a lovely man who always had a kind word and smile for our staff. He enjoyed several of our community events and made many friends while with our community,” said Tera Lung, a leasing manager at his former apartment complex, to Local 12.
“@CincyPD UPDATE: active shooter/officer involved shooting incident at Fifth Third Bank at 511 Walnut Street in lobby and loading dock. Call received at 9:10am. Five victims injured, three dead. Suspect is dead. Three or four officers responded and engaged the shooter,” police wrote in an update on Twitter.
No officers were injured. “Everything transpired in the loading dock area and the lobby of the building,” said the police chief, adding that it’s not clear yet whether the victims were targeted. He said that the officers responded quickly and engaged with the suspect, but tragedies still unfolded. Authorities said “there was an exchange of gunfire” but it wasn’t clear whether the suspect shot himself or police shot him. One of the victims was found deceased at the scene.
The news of the possible mass shooting/active shooter broke out on social media.
Another ambulance has arrived, but it’s hanging out on Walnut awaiting a task. @Enquirer
The Cincinnati police first wrote “@CincyPD investigating active shooter/officer involved shooting incident at Fifth Third Bank at 511 Walnut Street in lobby and loading dock. More details to follow. Media staging area will be forthcoming. Ft. Square and surrounding area will be closed to foot traffic.” No police officers were among the injured, Cincinnati.com reported. They urged people to remain in lockdown and were still clearing the scene.
Reporter Max Londberg described the harrowing scene on Twitter. “Witness to Cincinnati active shooting: Witness was sitting in Fountain Square when teens outside Fifth Third Bank yelled that there was a shooter. He thought it was a joke. Then he saw a man in white shirt and brown pants holding a gun and heard ’rounds of gunfire,'” he wrote.
Londberg quoted the witness as saying, “I saw a guy in a white shirt walking around and shooting like this” (the witness held up his right arm straight in front of him) ‘bing bing bing bing,'” and then added, “He ran. He said he’s a visitor from Germany. Visibly distraught. Did not wish to give his name. The bank is at 38 fountain sq.”
This post will be updated as more information is learned about the victims.