Killer’s sister creates ambiguity

Opinions split on whether Ohio shooter was gunning for her

CINCINNATI — One of the first victims struck by the Dayton shooter during his 32-second rampage that left nine people dead was his younger sister, but whether he intentionally killed her remains unknown more than a week later, the city’s police chief said Tuesday.

Investigators have “radically different views” on whether Connor Betts targeted his 22-year-old sister, Megan, two hours after they arrived with a friend at a popular strip of nightclubs, Chief Richard Biehl said at a news conference.

Text messages show that the 24-year-old gunman knew that his sister and their friend were going to a taco stand minutes before he came down an alley and started shooting, Biehl said.

“There’s a real question whether he could see who was on the other side,” the police chief said, adding that it’s possible investigators may never come up with an answer.

Authorities have interviewed witnesses, studied video and reviewed Betts’ phone while trying to come up with a motive and other factors that led to the mass shooting Aug 4. So far, there is no evidence he had any help the night of the shooting, Biehl said.

While they don’t know why Betts chose the location or what his motive was, investigators do know a lot about his mindset, including his obsession with committing a mass shooting, the police chief said.

A video of pieced-together surveillance from businesses showed Betts before the shooting with his sister and their friend, and again after he went to his car and changed into a black hoodie, put on body armor and retrieved an assault-style gun from the trunk.

The three had arrived together at the entertainment district and spent about an hour inside a bar before Betts left and went to another nightclub by himself, police said.

He then walked back to his car and spent about eight minutes changing and getting out his weapon, Biehl said.

Investigators think that the friend who arrived with Betts didn’t know whathehadplannedorthathehad weapons stashed in the trunk, Biehl said.

Betts was very familiar with the area and its night spots and had been there the night before, the police chief said. It’s clear he had a plan for the mass shooting, although why he chose that place at that time is still being investigated, the police chief said.

In all, he killed nine people and wounded at least 17 others.