Megan Betts — the sister of the gunman behind themass shooting early Sunday morningin downtown Dayton, Ohio — was among the ninevictims who were killed in the attack.
According to Biehl, Megan, 22, traveled with Connor to the downtown area in the same car initially before separating. At 1:05 a.m., Connor opened fire on the streets of the Oregon District, a popular nightlife area.
“Right as [Connor] came out of the alleyway [where the first victim was shot], [Megan] and another male who was a companion of the suspect was shot and wounded,” Biehl said, noting that while Connor’s sister “was not the first victim,” she “was one of the initial victims.”
“So they were victims initially after the first person was shot,” he continued of Megan and her companion.
Megan.Facebook
Megan Betts.Facebook
John Minchillo/AP/Shutterstock
Betts was a student at Wright State University studying earth and environmental sciences, according toher student profile.
Accordingto her LinkedIn page, she had spent time recently as a tour guide at the Missoula Smokejumper Visitor Center in Montana, which is dedicated to forest preservation and fire prevention.
“We really enjoyed the time that she spent working here for us. She was full of life and really passionate,” Cottrell said. “She was a very caring individual.”
NBC News, citing eyewitnesses, reports the shooting occurred near the Ned Peppers bar. Ina Facebook post, the bar said, “We have police regularly staffed next to our business who engaged the shooter and neutralized the threat.”
“Had this individual made it through the doorway of Ned Peppers with that level of weaponry, there would have been catastrophic level of injury and loss of life,” Biehl said Sunday.
“We believe he was planning this or something like this for a while,” a source close to the investigation tells PEOPLE. “It’s too soon to speculate on why he acted when he did.”
Mourners attend a vigil in Dayton, Ohio, following a mass shooting there.MEGAN JELINGER/AFP/Getty Images
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At a press conference, Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley said the shooter — who also injured 27 — was wearing body armor and carrying a .223-caliber rifle, plus high-capacity magazines.
Whaley said that if not for the quick police response, “hundreds of people in the Oregon District could be dead today,” reports theAssociated Press.
The Dayton incident marked the second mass shooting in the United States in less than 24 hours. On Saturday, 20 people were killed and 26 injured ina shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas.
Police arrested a 21-year-old male suspect in El Paso and authorities are investigating the shooting as a hate crime after learning the suspect apparently wrote a manifesto with white nationalist themes, a source familiar with the investigation told PEOPLE.
source: people.com
