Four dead in shooting at bank
A gunman opened fire Thursday morning in a building in the heart of Cincinnati in an attack that left him and three other people dead, police said.
The shooting sent people scrambling across the city’s Fountain Square amid cries of “shooter!”
It happened at a 30-storey building, home to the corporate headquarters for regional banker Fifth Third Bancorp and other businesses, including popular ice cream, pastry and sandwich shops. The bank building was locked down for most of the morning, and surrounding streets and sidewalks were closed off.
Police Chief Eliot Isaac said the shooter opened fire at about 9:10 a.m. at the loading dock of the Fifth Third Bank building. Isaac said the gunman then entered the bank’s lobby where he exchanged gunfire with police. It was unclear if the gunman shot himself or was shot by officers. The gunman wasn’t immediately identified, and police didn’t comment on possible motive. Police later swarmed an apartment in North Bend, Ohio, a village some 15 miles west of Cincinnati. They didn’t immediately explain the search.
“So, a very horrific situation,” Isaac said at the shooting scene. “We’re in the very early stages” of the investigation.
Federal and state agents were on the scene as police searched through the building.
Michael Richardson, who works in the bank building, told The Cincinnati Enquirer that he was standing outside the
entrance when he heard gunshots in the lobby.
“I looked behind me and saw the guy — he shot and then he shot again. After that I started running.”
Jessica Hanson, a contractor with the bank’s concierge company, works on one of the lower floors overlooking Fountain Square. She said after repeatedly hearing shots, she went to the window and saw people running and ducking for cover as officers started shooting into the bank.
A woman who works with her
had taken the elevator down to get a drink. When the elevator doors opened, Hanson said her co-worker almost stepped on a man’s body. She got back in the elevator and rode up to her floor, where Hanson said she was in complete shock and unable to form complete sentences. One of the victims died at the scene. Two more died at University of Cincinnati Medical Center. UC Health spokeswoman Kelly Martin said one victim remained there in critical condition and another was listed as serious.