Cincinnati attack leaves four dead
A gunman opened fire in a bank, killing three before being shot dead by police.
CINCINNATI — A gunman entered a busy downtown Cincinnati skyscraper through a loading dock Thursday morning and then opened fire in the lobby, killing three people and injuring up to five others before police officers shot and killed him.
One official said the attack “could have been a bloodbath beyond imagination” if police hadn’t responded so quickly, as the shooting took place at the beginning of the work day inside the Fifth Third Bank building, a 31-story tower that houses more than 3,000 employees. It sits above bustling Fountain Square a few blocks from Great American Ball Park and the riverfront along the Ohio River.
Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot Isaac identified the suspect as Omar Enrique Santa Perez, a man in his late 20s who lived in an apartment on Cincinnati’s west side. Police said the circumstances surrounding the violence and a motive are thus far elusive.
Perez’s family members could not be reached Thursday. Records indicate that Perez had lived at times in Florida and South Carolina.
Several witnesses said the gunman was wearing a suit during the attack, and law enforcement officials said he had hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Laura Trujillo, a spokeswoman for Fifth Third Bancorp, said the gunman “was not a former employee or current bank employee,” and authorities could not say what, if any, connection Perez had with the bank or the building.
Isaac called the rampage “very horrific;” it was the deadliest shooting in the Cincinnati region since 2013.
Police did not say much about Perez. They cordoned off a 22-unit brick apartment building in a quiet working class subdivision as they searched Perez’s apartment.
His Cincinnati neighbors said they didn’t know much about Perez, who they believed often worked from home and kept to himself. Neighbor Karen Rose said Perez’s car recently broke down, leading him to take the bus; she said he seemed “standoffish” and often had ear buds in.