( Dayton, Ohio ) - Police say it's too early in the investigation to get into motive, but on Sunday afternoon, Chief Richard Biehl released more details on the early morning shooting in Dayton's Oregon District.
Chief Biehl says officers heard the gunfire at 1:05am, engaged the suspect 20 seconds later, and 30 seconds after the first round was fired, the suspect was killed. That suspect has been identified as 24-year-old Connor Betts of Bellbrook, Ohio. He allegedly was able to kill nine people and wound 27 others in that short amount of time before he was killed by police. The chief says Betts' 22-year-old sister, Megan, was among those killed.
In an afternoon news conference, Chief Biehl says Betts had a minimal criminal history as an adult--minor traffic infractions--and that there's nothing in his background that would've precluded him from buying a gun. The gun used in the shooting was purchased online from Texas. The chief declined to go into detail on how Betts obtained the body armor he was wearing.
The chief also stressed that it's extremely early in the investigation, and any speculation on motive at this time would be irresponsible. "We do not have sufficient information to answer the question everyone wants to know: 'why?'" the chief said.
There's a vigil set to be held near the shooting scene at 8pm.