‘A horrific situation’: 4 dead in Cincinnati bank shooting

CINCINNATI — A gunman opened fire early Thursday in the heart of Cincinnati in an attack that left him and three other people dead and two more wounded, police said.

The shooting sent people scrambling across the city’s Fountain Square amid cries of “shooter!”

It happened at a 30-story 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 the usually crowded surrounding streets and sidewalks were closed off.

Police Chief Eliot Isaac says authorities don’t know why 29-year-old Omar Enrique Santa Perez opened fire at the 30-story headquarters of Fifth Third Bancorp. Isaac says police believe he’s lived in the Cincinnati area since 2015.

He says the suspect carried a 9mm handgun, and carried an estimated 200 rounds or more of ammunition.

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.

Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters said the gunman was carrying a large amount of ammunition, and the rapid police response likely prevented many more casualties. He said one investigator said it could have been “a bloodbath beyond imagination.”

Police Lt. Steve Saunders said he wasn’t a current or past employee of Fifth Third, and police didn’t know immediately why he went to that building.

Police swarmed the suspect’s apartment in North Bend, Ohio.

“A very horrific situation,” Isaac said at the shooting scene. “We’re in the very early stages” of the investigation.