One killed, 15 injured in nightclub shooting
No arrests are made in Cincinnati gunfight. Authorities see no terrorism connection.
CINCINNATI — A gunfight broke out inside a crowded Cincinnati nightclub early Sunday, leaving one man dead and 15 others wounded after a dispute among several patrons escalated, authorities said.
No suspects were in custody in the shooting at the Cameo club, which has a history of gun violence, and police said there was no indication of any link to terrorism.
Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot Isaac said one of the victims was in “extremely critical condition,” and a hospital spokeswoman said two victims were listed in critical condition.
Police began receiving calls at 1:30 a.m. about gunshots at the club near the Ohio River east of downtown Cincinnati. Isaac said about 200 people were in the club, one of the few hip-hop venues in the city.
Isaac identified the dead man as O’Bryan Spikes, 27, but provided no other details.
He said 15 others were injured, with some already treated and released from hospitals.
“What we know at this point in the investigation is that several local men got into some type of dispute inside the bar, and it escalated into shots being fired from several individuals,” Isaac said.
It wasn’t clear how many guns were involved.
Club patron Mauricio Thompson described a chaotic scene in which as many as 20 shots were fired as people scrambled to get away. He said there was a fight and people were yelling for security to intervene before the gunfire began.
“Once I got outside, people were coming out bloody, gunshot wounds on them, some of their friends carrying them to the car, rushing them to the hospital,” Thompson told WCPO-TV. “It was just crazy.”
Police Sgt. Daniel Hils said the large crowd was a factor in the number of injured people.
“When you’re talking about something tightly packed like that, I think intended targets aren’t going to be the only thing that’s hit,” said Hils, who is president of the local Fraternal Order of Police. “When you start throwing lead around, and there’s a lot of other people standing around, then the other people are going to get hit.”
Isaac said the club had its own security team that used detection wands and patdowns to keep out guns. Four officers were working security in the club’s parking lot, and some tried unsuccessfully to revive the man who died.
The club’s Facebook profile says it caters to college students on Friday nights, when anyone over 18 is allowed, but Saturday nights are for ages 21 and older.
The club has a history of gun violence, including a shooting on New Year’s Day in 2015, and one in the parking lot in September of that year, City Manager Harry Black said.
Referring to initial speculation about possible terrorism, Mayor John Cranley said: “What difference does that make to the victims? Innocent people were shot.”
He called the shootings “unacceptable” and said authorities would work to find ways to prevent such violence.
A single body was removed by the coroner shortly after 6 a.m. A federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives team was also at the club.
Among the injured, five were treated at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and released, hospital spokeswoman Kelly Martin said. She said two people were in critical condition and three others were listed in stable condition. She had no details on the types of injuries or the ages of the victims.
Other injured people were taken to or drove themselves to other hospitals.
Investigators were checking to see whether surveillance cameras at the nightclub were working, Police Capt. Kim Williams said.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich said on Twitter that he was “saddened to learn about last night’s shooting” and that he was offering the state’s assistance.