The nine victims killed in a mass shooting near a bar in Dayton, Ohio, have been identified by police. The victims range in age from 22 to 57 and include the suspected gunman’s younger sister.
The shooting occurred early Sunday morning, August 4, in the popular Oregon District of Dayton, where several bars and restaurants are located, near Ned Peppers Bar. The gunman, using a rifle, killed nine people and wounded at least 26 in less than a minute before he was shot and killed by police, authorities said.
The shooting was the second mass shooting in the United States in less than 12 hours. A gunman killed 20 people and wounded several others in what is being called a domestic terror attack and a hate crime at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, Saturday morning, August 3. The suspected shooter in that incident was taken into custody and is facing capital murder charges. He appears to have posted a manifesto online before the shooting saying he was attacking El Paso because of his belief of a “Hispanic invasion” of Texas.
The motive in the Dayton shooting has not been revealed. Investigators were still at the scene and questioning witnesses and those who knew the shooter on Sunday. Police said there was a “very short timeline of violence” before the gunman was killed by responding officers, who were in the area already when the shooting began.
“It is a terrible day for Dayton, but I am so grateful for Dayton Police’s fast action,” Mayor Nan Whaley said at a press conference, adding that several others could have been killed or wounded if not for the fast actions of the police.
“We join those across Ohio and this country in offering our prayers to victims and their families,” Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said. “I commend Dayton Police and other first responders for their bravery and quick response to save lives and bring an end to this tragedy.”
Senator Sherrod Brown said in a statement, “We are still learning about the attack in Dayton and we don’t know exactly what, if anything, could have prevented this specific tragedy. But we know thoughts and prayers are not enough, we have a responsibility to act.”
Six of the victims were black and three were white. The victims included four women and five men. Police Lieutenant Matt Carper told reporters, “It’s hard to imagine that there was much discrimination in the shooting. It happened in a very short period of time.”
The victims were identified Sunday afternoon at a press conference:
JUST IN: Dayton police deputy chief reads the names of the 9 victims killed in the deadly Dayton, Ohio mass shooting overnight. t.co/UvcL0fFsPb
These are the victims of the shooting:
Megan Betts, 22
Megan Betts.
Megan Betts was one of two children of Stephen Betts and Moira Cofer Betts, according to Facebook. She and her family are from Bellbrook, Ohio, about 15 miles outside of Dayton.
According to her Facebook page, Megan Betts was a student at Wright State University, where she was studying in the biological sciences department. Betts was set to graduate in 2020. She had also worked at the Missoula Smokejumper Visitor Center in Missoula, Montana, according to her Facebook page.
Lois Oglesby, 27
Lois Oglesby was 27 and leaves behind two children including a newborn. She worked at a day care and was in nursing school, excited about a career that drew on her love for children. #DaytonOHShooting t.co/wzjGNaOYNi
Lois Oglesby was a Dayton resident. Oglesby’s friend, Marlene Tillman, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Oglesby was a mother to a newborn baby and an older daughter. Oglesby worked at a daycare and was in nursing school, her friend told the newspaper.
“We grew up as cousins,” another friend, Derasha Merrett told the Journal-Constitution. “We grew up in the same church, on the same drill team. She works at my kids’ daycare. We all grew up in this little town. We’re all family. We’re all hurting behind this.”
Saeed Saleh, 38
Saeed Saleh came to the United States from Eritrea three years ago with his wife and their now 5-year-old daughter, The Washington Post reports. Tekeste Abraham, who is also part of the Eritrean community in Dayton and helps immigrants from Africa upon their arrival in Ohio, told the newspaper that Saleh was a “very humble man.”
Abraham told the newspaper, “He was really a very good guy. He loved his family.”
Derrick Fudge, 57
Derrick Fudge.
Derrick Fudge was a resident of Springfield, Ohio, according to his Facebook page. He graduated from South High School in Springfield.
Fudge’s sister told the Dayton Daily News that Fudge was out with his son, his son’s fiancee and several others when the shooting occurred. She told the newspaper her brother was a “good man who loved his family” and had a dog named Lucy he “absolutely loved.”
Logan Turner, 30
Logan Turner was a CNC machinist from Springboro, Ohio, who worked at Thaler Machine Company, according to his Linkedin profile. He graduated from Sinclair Community College in 2013.
Heart is broken for Springboro alum Logan Turner, who was killed in the senseless tragedy last night in Dayton. Such a great young man lost too soon. Praying for comfort and healing for his family and all of his teammates who loved him so much. Rest easy 78.
#daytonstrong
His mother, Danita Turner, told the Dayton Daily News that her son was “sweet and smart.” She added,”He was very generous and loving and the world’s best son. Everyone loved Logan. He was a happy go lucky guy.”
Nicholas Cumer, 25
Nicholas Cumer.
Nicholas Cumer was a graduate student in the master of cancer care program at Saint Francis University in Pennsylvania, the school said on its website on Sunday.
“It is with a heavy heart that I share news that one of our students was among the casualties of the mass shooting that occurred today in Dayton, Ohio,” said University President Father Malachi Van Tassell. “Nicholas Cumer was a graduate student in the Master of Cancer Care program and had completed his undergraduate work with us as an Exercise Physiology major. He had been in Dayton as part of his internship program with the Maple Tree Cancer Alliance.”
Van Tassell added, “Nicholas was dedicated to caring for others. He was recognized at the 2019 Community Engagement Awards among students who had completed 100+ hours of service. In addition he was a graduate assistant with the university marching band. We join the nation in mourning Nicholas, along side all of the victims of this tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with their family and friends during this most difficult time. A Mass in Nicholas’ memory will be arranged on campus this week, and we will share other arrangements as we learn of them.”
Cumer’s Twitter profile reads, “Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. Romans 12:2 ΑΦΔ #WeDo.”
Thomas McNichols, 25
Thomas McNichols.
Thomas James McNichols was a Dayton resident and went by TeeJay, according to his Facebook page.
His cousin wrote on Facebook, “This is TOO MUCH. Rest peacefully my Angel TeeJay James ?❤️??? my cousin did NOT deserve this at all. The provider, the protector, & the rock. Damn my cousins don’t deserve to mourn the loss of their brother, he was all they had. This life we live is so unfair. Please pray for my family peace, comfort and understanding. ?”
Jevin Lamar, McNichols’ cousin, told The New York Times, he was, “a great father, a great brother — he was a protector.”
Beatrice Warren-Curtis, 36
Beatrice Warren Curtis.
Beatrice Warren-Curtis, who went by Nicole Curtis, was in Dayton with a friend, Monica Brickhouse, who was also killed in the shooting, another friend said on Facebook.
Monica Brickhouse, 39
Monica Brickhouse
Monica Brickhouse was a Springfield, Ohio, native who also lived in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She ran a design, event planning and catering company called Two Good Girls, according to her Facebook page.
Brittany Hart, a friend of Curtis and Brickhouse, wrote on Facebook, “This just can’t be real. I just saw you both a month ago after my moms passing. Like you two have always done y’all checked in on my family and made your love for my family known. I am in shock!!! Monica Storey Brickhouse you were like another aunt to me! You and O’Nika were like the big sisters I always wanted to tag along with! Beatrice (Nicole Curtis) you always showed my mother so much love and respect! She and my family loved you both dearly! Both of you will be missed so much. I will cherish the many memories I have of y’all. I’m sending positive energy to both of your families. To lose a loved one to senseless violence is just unfair, especially since it could be preventable !! I am so sorry this has happened to you all!”
This post will be updated with photos and more details of the victims as they are made available.
READ NEXT: Mother Dies Saving Her Infant Son in El Paso Shooting