Gunman opened fire in Dayton, Ohio, nine people killed

A gunman who wore a mask, bulletproof vest and hearing protection opened fire in a popular nightlife district in downtown Dayton, Ohio, killing nine people including his sister on Sunday, authorities said.

Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl said the shooter opened fire with a .223-caliber high-capacity rifle with 100-round drum magazines. Officers patrolling the Oregon District as the bars were closing shortly after 1 a.m. heard the gunfire and saw a large crowd running away, the police chief said.

"The officers immediately advanced toward the gunfire and within approximately 20 seconds, they engaged the suspect, who was actively firing and attempting to enter a crowded liquor establishment," the police chief said.

"The threat was neutralized at approximately 30 seconds of the suspect firing his first shot," Biehl said.

Biehl released a frantic 911 call from the shooting as well as surveillance footage and the names of the six officers who responded to the shooting. The officers were not injured.

Twenty-seven other people were injured when Connor Betts, 24, fired dozens of shots. The motive remained unclear.

The shooting in Dayton, a riverfront city of about 140,000 people in southwestern Ohio, came just 13 hours after a mass shooting at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, where 20 people were killed and 26 others wounded. The 21-year-old suspect in that shooting was arrested.

The Ohio shooting was the third major outbreak of U.S. gun violence, coming seven days after a 19-year-old man wearing tactical gear opened fire at at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in California, killing three people, including two children.