This archive report was first published on 14 August 2019.
On August 4, 2019, a gunman killed nine people and wounded 17 others in Dayton, Ohio, in a shooting that lasted just 32 seconds.
According to the Dayton Police Department, the gunman had texted his sister and another victim just minutes before the shooting, which occurred outside a bar in the city's popular Oregon entertainment district.
Chief Richard S. Biehl said that the gunman was not unfamiliar with the area, having visited it on Friday night and returning with his sister and a friend at 11:04 p.m. on Saturday.
After visiting a bar with them, the gunman left around midnight, walking past a police vehicle to go to his car, where he retrieved an AR-15-style rifle, ammunition, and body armor.
He returned wearing a dark hoodie and carrying a backpack containing the weapon, and his sister was among the first people he shot, although it's unclear if she was a target.
The gunman started shooting at 1:05 a.m., striking 26 people in 32 seconds before being fatally shot by an officer.
Chief Biehl praised the officers' response, saying it was crucial, immediate, effective, and compassionate.
