Police: Shooter killed 9 in Ohio, including his sister
By DAN SEWELL and JOHN MINCHILLO Associated Press
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — A gunman in body armor opened fire early Sunday in a popular entertainment district in Dayton, Ohio, killing nine people, including his sister, and wounded dozens of others before he was quickly slain by police, city officials said.
Connor Betts, 24, was killed by police less than a minute after he started shooting a .223-caliber rifle in the streets of Dayton’s historic Oregon District about 1 a.m. in the second U.S. mass shooting in less than 24 hours. Police haven’t released further information about Betts or publicly discussed a motive.
His 22-year-old sister Megan, the youngest of the dead, were all killed in the same area, police said. The other men and women who were killed ranged in age from 25 to 57.
Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley said the shooter was wearing body armor and had additional high-capacity magazines. Had police not responded so quickly, “hundreds of people in the Oregon District could be dead today,” she said.
The neighborhood, home to bars, restaurants and theaters, is “a safe part of downtown,” said police Lt. Col. Matt Carper.
Whaley said at least 27 people were treated for injuries, and at least 15 of those have been released. Several more remain in serious or critical condition, hospital officials said at a news conference. Some suffered multiple gunshot wounds and others were injured as they fled, the officials said.
Nikita Papillon, 23, was across the street at Newcom’s Tavern when the shooting started. She said she saw a girl she had talked to earlier lying outside Ned Peppers Bar.
“She had told me she liked my outfit and thought I was cute, and I told her I liked her outfit and I thought she was cute,” Papillon said. She herself had been to Ned Peppers the night before, describing it as the kind of place “where you don’t have to worry about someone shooting up the place.”
“People my age, we don’t think something like this is going to happen,” she said. “And when it happens, words can’t describe it.”
Tianycia Leonard, 28, was in the back, smoking, at Newcom’s. She heard “loud thumps” that she initially thought was someone pounding on a dumpster.
“It was so noisy, but then you could tell it was gunshots and there was a lot of rounds,” Leonard said.
Staff of an Oregon District bar called Ned Peppers said in a Facebook post that they were left shaken and confused by the shooting. The bar said a bouncer was treated for shrapnel wounds.
A message seeking further comment was left with staff.
President Donald Trump was briefed on the shooting and praised law enforcement’s speedy response in a tweet Sunday.
Gov. Mike DeWine issued his own statement, announcing that he ordered flags in Ohio remain at half-staff and offering assistance to Whaley and prayers for the victims.
Whaley said she has been in touch with the White House, though not Trump directly, and with DeWine. She said more than 50 other mayors also have reached out to her.
The FBI is assisting with the investigation.
A family assistance center was set up at the Dayton Convention Center, where people seeking information on victims arrived in a steady trickle throughout the morning, many in their Sunday best, others looking bedraggled from a sleepless night. Some local pastors were on hand to offer support, as were comfort dogs.
The Ohio shooting came hours after a young man opened fire in a crowded El Paso, Texas, shopping area, leaving 20 dead and more than two dozen injured. Just days before, on July 28, a 19-year-old shot and killed three people, including two children, at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Northern California.
Sunday’s shooting in Dayton is the 22nd mass killing of 2019 in the U.S., according to the AP/USA Today/Northeastern University mass murder database that tracks homicides where four or more people were killed — not including the offender. The 20 mass killings in the U.S. in 2019 that preceded this weekend claimed 96 lives.
Whaley said the Oregon District is expected to reopen Sunday afternoon, and a vigil is planned Sunday evening. The minor league Dayton Dragons who play in nearby Fifth Third Field postponed their Sunday afternoon game against the Lake County Captains “due to this morning’s tragic event.”
The shooting in Dayton comes after the area was heavily damaged when tornadoes swept through western Ohio in late May, destroying or damaging hundreds of homes and businesses.
“Dayton has been through a lot already this year, and I continue to be amazed by the grit and resiliency of our community,” Whaley said.
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This story has been corrected to say the shooting took place around 1 a.m., not 1:22 a.m., per a police update.
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Associated Press writers Julie Carr Smyth in Dayton, Michael Balsamo in Orlando, Fla., and Kantele Franko in Columbus contributed.

Report: Iran seizes tanker carrying ‘smuggled fuel’ in Gulf
By MEHDI FATTAHI and AYA BATRAWY Associated Press
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian forces seized a ship in the Persian Gulf suspected of carrying smuggled fuel, state media reported Sunday, marking the Revolutionary Guard’s third seizure of a vessel in recent weeks and the latest show of strength by the paramilitary force amid a spike in regional tensions.
State TV and the semi-official Fars news agency reported that seven crew members were detained when the ship was seized late Wednesday carrying 700,000 liters (185,000 gallons) of “smuggled fuel” from Iran. The local reports did not provide further details on the vessel or the nationality of the crew.
The news agency reported the ship was seized near Farsi Island, where a Revolutionary Guard naval base is located. The island sits in the Persian Gulf between Saudi Arabia and Iran, north of the Strait of Hormuz.
Guard commander Gen. Ramazan Zirahi was quoted by Iran’s state TV saying the ship was seized in Iranian territorial waters and had been transporting diesel fuel. State TV and other local media also ran footage of the ship, but did not show any flag or identifying marker for the vessel.
“This foreign vessel had received the fuel from other ships and was transferring it to Persian Gulf Arab states,” Zirahi said in comments carried by Fars new agency.
It was not immediately clear why a ship carrying Iranian fuel would transfer its cargo to energy exporting Gulf states, but smuggling has been a source of concern in Iran. Iranian media reported last month that some 8 million liters of government-subsidized Iranian fuel are smuggled daily to other countries where prices are much higher.
The new claims would make this the third vessel seized by the Guard in the past two weeks, and the second accused of smuggling fuel.
The U.S. Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, said it did not have information to confirm the reports. Maritime tracking experts also said they did not have any immediate information about the incident or details on the vessel.
Maritime intelligence firm Dryad Global said that, if confirmed, this is likely to be “another relatively low key interception designed to signal to the West that Iran maintains the capability and intent to exercise its influence” in the Persian Gulf.
Tensions in the Persian Gulf have escalated recently, with the United States boosting its military presence in the region and six oil tankers targeted in the Gulf of Oman in unclaimed acts of sabotage that the U.S. blames on Iran. Iran has denied any involvement in those attacks.
In June, Iran shot down an American surveillance drone in the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump came close to retaliating, but called off an airstrike at the last moment. Washington has since claimed that a U.S. warship downed an Iranian drone in the strait. Iran denies losing any aircraft in the area.
Maritime security in the region was further jolted in mid-July, when Iranian Revolutionary Guard naval forces confirmed they’d seized a United Arab Emirates-based oil tanker, the Panamanian-flagged MT Riah, for allegedly smuggling some 1 million liters (264,000 gallons) of fuel from Iranian smugglers to foreign customers.
Also in July, the Guard seized a British-flagged vessel near the Persian Gulf in the Strait of Hormuz, in what some Iranian officials suggested was retaliation for the seizure of an Iranian oil tanker in a British Royal Navy operation off Gibraltar, near Spain.
The U.K. says the Iranian oil tanker was suspected of violating European Union sanctions on oil shipments to Syria. Iran denies the ship was bound for Syria but has not disclosed its destination. Officials in Spain initially said the tanker was seized upon request from the United States.
The current tensions stem from Trump’s decision last year to withdraw the U.S. from Iran’s 2015 nuclear accord with world powers and impose sweeping sanctions on the country that have crippled its economy. In response, Iran began openly breaching limits set by the nuclear agreement to pressure European signatories to provide economic relief to help offset the sanctions.
Maritime security around the Persian Gulf is of international importance. The Strait of Hormuz sits at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, a shipping channel for one-fifth of all global crude exports. Petroleum products from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain are exported through the strait to countries around the world. Iran also uses the strait for its exports.
Some 67,533 ships sailed through strait last year, according to data from maritime publication Lloyd’s List sourcing research by Russell Group.
Ranjith Raja, a senior analyst at data firm Refinitiv, said this latest seized ship by Iran could be a barge or supply vessel rather than a commercial merchant tanker based on the amount of fuel it was allegedly transporting. Due to the numerous supply vessels operating in the area, it was not possible to pinpoint which ship had been seized, he said.
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Batrawy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The Latest: Dayton mayor says gunman who killed 9 wore armor
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — The Latest on a deadly mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio (all times local):
7:30 a.m.
Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley says the gunman in a mass shooting that killed nine people in Ohio was wearing body armor and had extra magazines.
She says Dayton police officers patrolling the area fired on the shooter within a minute, killing him. She said “hundreds of people in the Oregon District could be dead today” if police hadn’t acted quickly.
The mayor said at a press conference Sunday morning that 26 people have been injured and are at local hospitals.
Officials say it’s too early to provide details on the suspect’s identity.
Whaley commended the “girt and resiliency of this community,” saying Dayton has been through a lot this year.
The mayor said she would provide frequent updates throughout the day with the next one scheduled for 10 a.m. EDT.
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7:15 a.m.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has issued a statement following a mass shooting in Dayton that killed nine people.
He says he’s ordered flags in Ohio to remain at half-mast in honor of those killed early Sunday morning in a popular nightlife district.
The statement says he’s offered Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley “any assistance on behalf of the state.” He commended first responders for their “bravery and quick response to save lives and bring an end to this tragedy.”
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7:10 a.m.
Two women who were in a bar across the street from the Dayton, Ohio, shooting say they are in shock.
Nikita Papillon says she heard the shooting and ran out of Newcom’s Tavern, where she saw bodies on the ground.
The 23-year-old says people her age “don’t think something like this is going to happen.”
Tianycia Leonard says she heard “loud thumps” she initially thought were people pounding on a dumpster. The 28-year-old says she then realized “it was gunshots and there was a lot of rounds.”
Police say at least nine people were killed and 16 others were injured in the shooting in a popular nightlife area. Authorities say the suspected shooter is also deceased.
This is the second mass shooting in the U.S. in less than 24 hours.
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6:30 a.m.
The mayor of Dayton, Ohio, has weighed in on a mass shooting that killed nine people and injured at least 16 others.
Mayor Nan Whaley tweeted that she was “heartbroken” around 6 a.m. Sunday, around five hours after the active shooter situation began in Dayton’s historic Oregon District.
She thanked first responders and said officials would share updates when they had more information.
Dayton police have yet to identify the suspected shooter, who was shot to death by responding officers.
According to the AP/USA Today/Northeastern University database, the Dayton shooting is the 22nd mass killing and sixth public mass shooting in the U.S. in 2019. It came just hours after 20 people were killed in an El Paso, Texas, shooting.
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5:45 a.m.
A police spokesman in Dayton, Ohio, says the second mass shooting in the U.S. in less than 24 hours took place in “a safe part of downtown.”
Speaking at a press conference Sunday, Lt. Col. Matt Carper said the suspect in the deaths of nine people was shot to death by responding officers in the Oregon District.
Police believe there was only one shooter. They haven’t yet identified the suspect or a motive. Carper said the suspect fired multiple rounds from a long gun.
At least 16 other people have been hospitalized with injuries from the early morning shooting.
No details about the victims have been released. A family assistance center has been set up at the Dayton Convention Center.
Sunday’s shooting came hours after 20 were killed in El Paso, Texas.
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4:35 a.m.
Police in Ohio say nine people have been killed in the second mass shooting in the U.S. in less than 24 hours.
Dayton police announced that the suspect in the early Sunday morning shooting is also deceased. At least 16 others have been taken to local hospitals with injuries.
Police say the active shooter situation began at 1 a.m. in the Oregon District, but that officers nearby were able to “put an end to it quickly.” The Oregon District is a historic neighborhood known for its entertainment offerings.
Further information, including the suspected shooter’s identity, has not been released.
The FBI is assisting with the investigation.
Sunday’s shooting came hours after 20 people were killed and more than two dozen injured in an El Paso, Texas, shooting.
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Per a police update, this story has been corrected to show the shooting began around 1 a.m., not 1:22 a.m.
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4:15 a.m.
Police in Ohio say they’re investigating a shooting in a historic neighborhood in Dayton known for its entertainment offerings.
The tweets from Dayton police early Sunday did not include further details, but described the Oregon District shooting as “a large scene and investigation.” Miami Valley Hospital spokeswoman Terrea Little said 16 victims have been received at the hospital, but she couldn’t confirm their conditions.
Police told The Associated Press that they did not have representatives available to speak to the media.
Video from the scene near downtown Dayton showed a host of emergency vehicles on a street that had been cordoned off.
Kettering Health Network spokeswoman Elizabeth Long said multiple victims from a shooting had been brought to system hospitals, but didn’t have details on how many.

9 killed in Ohio in second US mass shooting within 24 hours
By DAN SEWELL and JOHN MINCHILLO Associated Press
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Nine people in Ohio were killed in the second mass shooting in the U.S. in less than 24 hours, and the suspected shooter is also deceased, police said.
Dayton police tweeted that an active shooter situation began at 1 a.m. Sunday in a historic district that’s a popular nightlife destination, but officers nearby were able to “put an end to it quickly.” Lt. Col. Matt Carper said at a press conference that the suspect was shot to death by responding officers.
At least 26 others were injured, Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley said at a press conference. No details about the victims were released.
Miami Valley Hospital spokeswoman Terrea Little said the hospital had received 16 victims, but she couldn’t confirm their conditions. Kettering Health Network spokeswoman Elizabeth Long said multiple victims from a shooting had been brought to system hospitals, but she didn’t have details on how many.
With a population of around 140,000 Dayton is in western Ohio, around 55 miles (90 kilometers) northeast of Cincinnati, 75 miles (120 kilometers) west of Columbus and 120 miles (195 kilometers) east of Indianapolis. The shooting took place in the Oregon District, a historic neighborhood that Carper described as “a safe part of downtown,” home to entertainment options, including bars, restaurants and theaters. The shooting took place outside, on the 400 block of East 5th Street.
Nikita Papillon, 23, was across the street at Newcom’s Tavern when the shooting started. She said she saw a girl she had talked to earlier lying outside Ned Peppers Bar.
“She had told me she liked my outfit and thought I was cute, and I told her I liked her outfit and I thought she was cute,” Papillon said. She herself had been to Ned Peppers the night before, describing it as the kind of place “where you don’t have to worry about someone shooting up the place.”
“People my age, we don’t think something like this is going to happen,” she said. “And when it happens, words can’t describe it.”
Police believe there was only one shooter, and have not yet identified the suspect or a motive. Carper said the suspect used a long gun and fired multiple rounds.
Tianycia Leonard, 28, was in the back, smoking, at Newcom’s. She heard “loud thumps” that she initially thought was people pounding on a dumpster.
“It was so noisy, but then you could tell it was gunshots and there was a lot of rounds,” Leonard said.
The FBI is assisting with the investigation. A family assistance center was set up at the Dayton Convention Center.
“I’m heartbroken,” Whaley tweeted around 6 a.m. Sunday, thanking first responders for their efforts.
Gov. Mike DeWine issued his own statement before 7 a.m., announcing that he’s ordered flags in Ohio remain at half-mast and offered assistance to Whaley.
“Fran and I are absolutely heartbroken over the horrible attack that occurred this morning in Dayton, the statement said. “We join those across Ohio and this country in offering our prayers to victims and their families.”
The Ohio shooting came hours after a young man opened fire in a crowded El Paso, Texas, shopping area, leaving 20 dead and more than two dozen injured. Just days before, on July 28, a 19-year-old shot and killed three people, including two children, at Northern California’s Gilroy Garlic Festival.
Sunday’s shooting in Dayton is the 22nd mass killing of 2019 in the U.S., according to the AP/USA Today/Northeastern University mass murder database that tracks homicides where four or more people killed — not including the offender. The 20 mass killings in the U.S. in 2019 that preceded this weekend claimed 96 lives.
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This story has been corrected to say the shooting took place around 1 a.m., not 1:22 a.m., per a Dayton police update.

The Latest: Official: El Paso attack victim dies at hospital
EL PASO, Texas (AP) — The Latest on a shooting at an El Paso shopping complex (all times local):
3:30 p.m.
A University Medical Center of El Paso official says one of 12 people who were rushed to the hospital after the attack on a shopping complex has died.
Ryan Mielke (MIL’-kee), a hospital spokesman, says all of the victims suffered traumatic injuries in Saturday’s attack at or near the Cielo Vista Mall. He declined to provide additional details about the victims, including the one who died.
Mielke says two children, ages 2 and 9, were stabilized at the medical center before being transferred to the neighboring El Paso Children’s Hospital.
Authorities say multiple people were killed in the attack, but they haven’t said how many were killed or wounded. They say they believe it was carried out by a single male suspect who has been taken into custody.
President Donald Trump tweeted, “Reports are very bad, many killed.”
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3 p.m.
Authorities believe a deadly attack at or near a shopping mall in El Paso, Texas, was carried out by a single gunman who is in custody.
Police spokesman Robert Gomez says investigators are still trying to determine what happened during Saturday’s attack. He says multiple people were shot, but he didn’t say how many.
City officials have said there were multiple people killed, but they didn’t say how many.
State Rep. Cesar Blanco said on MSNBC that he had received reports that at least 18 people had been shot.
NBC News reports that a University Medical Center of El Paso official said it had received at least 10 seriously injured victims and that victims had also been taken to other hospitals.
El Paso, which has about 680,000 residents, is in West Texas and sits across the border from Juarez, Mexico.
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2:30 p.m.
Presidential candidate and former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke says he’s distraught by the news of a mass-shooting in his hometown of El Paso, Texas.
An emotional O’Rourke told reporters on Saturday in Las Vegas that he had spoken by phone to El Paso Mayor Dee Margo, the city’s sheriff and U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar. He says they were still learning details about the attack at or near the Cielo Vista Mall. Police say multiple people were killed and a male suspect was taken into custody.
O’Rourke said he planned to return home immediately to be with his family. He asked “for everyone’s strength for El Paso right now. Everyone’s resolve to make sure that this does not continue to happen in this country.”
El Paso, which has about 680,000 residents, is in West Texas and sits across the border from Juarez, Mexico.
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2:20 p.m.
Authorities say multiple people were shot and killed and a suspect was taken into custody in an attack at a shopping complex in El Paso, Texas.
Police Sgt. Enrique Carrillo told reporters Saturday that the attack at or near the Cielo Vista Mall had ended. He didn’t say how many people were wounded or killed, but NBC News reports that a University Medical Center of El Paso official said it had received at least 10 seriously injured victims and that some victims were taken to other hospitals.
The White House says President Donald Trump has been briefed on the shooting and has spoken to Attorney General William Barr and Gov. Greg Abbott.
El Paso, which has about 680,000 residents, is in West Texas and sits across the border from Juarez, Mexico.
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2 p.m.
Officials say multiple people were killed in an attack at a shopping complex in El Paso, Texas.
Olivia Zepeda, the chief of staff to El Paso Mayor Dee Margo, told CNN on Saturday that multiple people had been killed in the attack in or near the Cielo Vista Mall and that suspects have been taken into custody. She didn’t say how many victims there were.
The police department is asking the public to stay away from the area.
Authorities haven’t given any information about possible shooting victims.
El Paso is in West Texas along the border with Mexico.
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1:20 p.m.
Police in El Paso, Texas, say they’ve received reports of multiple shooters at a shopping complex and are urging the public to stay away from the area.
The police department tweeted Saturday that officers are at the Cielo Vista Mall area and that it is still an active shooter scene.
Authorities haven’t given any information about possible shooting victims.
El Paso is in West Texas along the border with Mexico.
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12:45 p.m.
Police in the West Texas city of El Paso have responded to reports of an active shooter in a commercial area near a mall.
El Paso police tweeted Saturday that officers were responding to an active shooting scene and that people were advised to stay away from the Cielo Vista Mall area. The mall complex is near Interstate 10 and on El Paso’s east side.
Police didn’t immediately provide details on whether anyone was hurt or in custody.
Further details weren’t immediately available.

State Rep. Rob Matzie announced that a grant for Beemac Trucking, LLC will further boost the company’s economic influence in the state.

Beaver County Radio News Correspondent, Sandy Giordano, has more on the story…

Drivers on Route 68 Eastbound should be aware of the new single lane traffic pattern.

Beaver County News Correspondent, Sandy Giordano,has more on the story.

The Pennsylvania Democratic National Convention will be holding an education and training session in Vanport tomorrow. This session is free and open to anyone and will take place at the IBEW Local 712 Hall, beginning at 9 AM. At this event, people will learn about how they can become a delegate for the 2020 DNC. There will be other sessions held in each of the state’s congressional districts.