USA TODAY International Edition
Dayton police have few clues on motive
Officials ‘not close’ to explaining attack
DAYTON, Ohio – Police are “not close enough at all” to determine a motive in Sunday’s shooting that killed nine people, Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl said.
At a news conference Monday, police said the gunman in the Oregon District shooting could have had a maximum of 250 rounds in his possession if all his magazines were at capacity.
Biehl said police found at least 41 spent shell casings from the gunman’s weapon at the scene. Six Dayton police officers fired 65 rounds at the gunman.
As many as 32 people were injured in the shooting. At least 14 people suffered gunshot wounds, and others were injured either by shrapnel or while trying to escape the shooting scene. Eleven people remained in Dayton-area hospitals Monday.
Biehl said investigators had not found evidence the shooting was racially motivated but cautioned that they weren’t close to finishing their investigation.
Among those shot were the gunman’s sister and a male companion, who was a friend of the gunman. The sister died, and the friend was shot in the lower torso.
Biehl said there was nothing to suggest that the slain woman or her friend were aware of weapons.
When asked whether the sister and the friend were targeted, Biehl said police couldn’t speculate on that. Biehl said it would “defy believability” that the gunman would shoot his own sister.
However, the chief said it’s also hard to believe that he would not recognize his sister.
Police said autopsies are being completed.
Connor Betts, 24, of Bellbrook, Ohio, was shot and killed by police shortly after the shooting began. He was armed with .223-caliber “assaultstyle” rifle and had body armor and extra magazines, according to Dayton Mayor Nancy Whaley.
The shooting was the 251st mass shooting in the USA this year.