Big Unknown in Dayton: Did Gunman Mean to Kill Sister?

Motive is also unclear at this point
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 5, 2019 12:16 PM CDT
Big Unknown in Dayton: Did Gunman Mean to Kill Sister?
Mourners gather outside Ned Peppers bar that was the scene of a mass shooting the previous day, Monday, Aug. 5, 2019, in Dayton, Ohio.   (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

In a Monday update on the shooting that killed 9 people in Dayton, Ohio, early Sunday, Police Chief Richard Biehl made clear that many unknowns remain. One of the big ones: motive. Another, per Biehl: Whether gunman Connor Betts targeted his 22-year-old sister Megan, who was among the dead. "It seems to just defy believability he would shoot his own sister, but it's also hard to believe that he didn't recognize it was his sister, so we just don't know," Biehl said, per the AP. He described the level of weaponry that the shooter had as "fundamentally problematic."

If all the gunman's magazines were full—a detail that hasn't yet been verified—he would have had as many as 250 rounds. Biehl confirmed at least 41 shots were fired in roughly 30 seconds. Police previously revealed that Megan Betts and a male companion shared a ride downtown with the gunman. That male companion was shot in the torso and remains hospitalized. CNN reports Biehl said "more conversation [is] needed" with him regarding the group's relationships. The Cincinnati Enquirer reports Biehl said they have no indication Megan Betts or her male companion knew of the weapons. (More Dayton shooting stories.)

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