Early on Sunday morning, hours after news broke of a mass shooting at a shopping centre in El Paso, Texas, a masked gunman in body armour opened fire in a crowded nightlife district in Dayton, Ohio.

Ten people were killed, including the shooter and his sister, and at least 27 people were injured.

What do we know about the shooting?

Police say about 1:00am on Sunday outside bars and restaurants in Dayton's Oregon district, a shooter wearing a bulletproof vest, mask and hearing protection opened fire.

He used an assault-style rifle fitted with an extended drum magazine that could hold 100 rounds.

Video recorded outside Ned Peppers Bar showed bargoers suddenly fleeing for their lives.

Many ran into the tavern to try to escape the gunman's bullets, Police Chief Richard Biehl said.

In less than 30 seconds the shooter killed nine people, including his sister, before he was shot dead by police.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 22 seconds 22 s GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING: CCTV footage shows the moments before Ohio police shoot gunman Connor Betts.

Officers had been on a routine patrol nearby and managed to get to the scene in less than a minute after he opened fire.

"Had this individual made it through the doorway of Ned Peppers with that level of weaponry, there would have been catastrophic injuries and a loss of life," Chief Biehl said.



The gunman has been identified as 24-year-old Connor Betts, a white male from Bellbrook, Ohio.

Did the shooter target his sister?

Megan Betts and her brother, Connor Betts, who was identified as the shooter. ( Facebook: Moira Cofer Betts )

Megan Betts, 22, was among the first killed in the attack. She was also the youngest of the victims.

At this stage, it is not clear if the shooter intentionally shot his sister.

Chief Biehl said the siblings had arrived in the same vehicle with a third companion earlier in the evening, but separated before the rampage.

The companion was wounded in the shooting, police said.

"There isn't much discrimination in the shooting," Assistant Police Chief Matt Carper told reporters. "It happened in a very short period of time."

Chief Biehl said the shooter's motive was not yet clear.

"We are very, very early in this investigation. Any suggestion at this time of motive would be irresponsible," he said.

"We do not have sufficient information to answer the question everyone wants to know, 'Why?'"

But Chief Biehl did reveal that the shooter had bought a rifle legally online from Texas and had it shipped to a local arms dealer.

Nothing in the suspect's record precluded him for purchasing the rifle, which had been modified.

The FBI is now assisting police in the investigation.

What do we know about the victims?

There were nine victims in total — four women and five men — and they were aged from 22 to 57.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 34 seconds 34 s Emergency responders tending to shooting victims in Ohio

Six of the nine killed were African American, police said.

Although they will investigate the possibility of a hate crime, police said the speed of the rampage made any discrimination in the shooting seem unlikely.

Police identified the victims as:

Megan Betts, 22

Megan Betts, 22 Monica Brickhouse, 39

Monica Brickhouse, 39 Nicholas Cumer, 25

Nicholas Cumer, 25 Derrick Fudge, 57

Derrick Fudge, 57 Thomas McNichols, 25

Thomas McNichols, 25 Lois Oglesby, 27

Lois Oglesby, 27 Saeed Saleh, 38

Saeed Saleh, 38 Logan Turner, 30

Logan Turner, 30 Beatrice N Warren-Curtis, 36

Of the 27 injured, at least 15 have been released although several remain in a serious or critical condition.

Mourners hug at the front of Ned Peppers Bar before a vigil. ( AP: John Minchillo )

What's the response been like?

A family assistance centre was set up at the local convention centre, where people seeking information on victims arrived in a steady trickle throughout Sunday morning. Some local pastors were on hand to offer support, as were comfort dogs.

On Sunday night, hundreds gathered for a vigil at the scene of the shooting.

Nine white doves were released to honour the victims. The crowd sang Amazing Grace and erupted in cheers at the mention of emergency responders who had rushed to the scene.

US President Donald Trump also praised law enforcement's speedy response.

Mr Trump ordered flags be lowered to half-mast at all federal government buildings until Thursday to "honour the victims of the tragedies".

The President and First Lady also offered their prayers for those affected.

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Ohio Governor Mike DeWine visited the scene after also ordering flags in Ohio remain at half-mast.

Mr DeWine, a Republican, said politicians must now consider: "Is there anything we can do in the future to make sure something like this does not happen?"

During the vigil, Governor DeWine's speech was interrupted by shouts of "Make a change" and chants of "Do something!"

Mayor Nan Whaley sought to calm the crowd, saying the vigil was intended for the victims and there would be time later for dealing with policy issues.

Democratic senator Sherrod Brown visited the scene and said responding with thoughts and prayers was not enough and stronger gun safety laws were needed.

Republican senator Rob Portman said the discussion must include not just policy changes, but issues such as mental health supports.

AP/Reuters

