Police divided on whether Dayton gunman targeted sister

One of the first victims struck by the Dayton, Ohio, 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, 24, targeted his sister, Megan, 22, 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 the gunman knew his sister and their friend were going to a taco stand minutes before he came down an alley and started shooting, Beihl said.

“There’s a real question whether he could see who was on the other side,” Biehl said, adding that it’s possible investigators will never find an answer.

While they don’t know why Betts chose his location or what his motive was, investigators do know a lot about his mindset, including his obsession with and desire to commit a mass shooting, Biehl 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 a rifle from the trunk.

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

Police think the friend with Betts didn’t know what he had planned or that he had stashed weapons, Beihl said.