Enquirer staff

What happened

An "active shooter" situation was called in at the Fifth Third Center in Downtown Cincinnati's Fountain Square the morning of Thursday, September 6.

The shooter, identified as Omar Santa Perez, 29, killed three people and injured two others before being shot and killed by police officers after a brief gun battle.

At a press conference on September 7, Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot K. Isaac said he "couldn't be prouder" of the officers that responded to the shooting at the Fifth Third Center.

Calls started coming into the dispatch center at 9:07 a.m. on Thursday.

Isaac said Omar Santa Perez fired 35 rounds and was carrying more than 200 rounds with him in a briefcase that he can be seen carrying in surveillance footage. The gun jammed, Isaac said.

Santa was dressed in dark slacks and a long-sleeved shirt. The briefcase was slung over his shoulder.

From the first shot until officers neutralized him, Isaac said four minutes and 38 seconds elapsed. Isaac said 11 rounds were fired by police. Police do not yet know which shots killed Santa.

The scene was announced as secure at about 9:15 a.m.

Who were the victims?

Prudhvi Raj Kandepi, 25, Richard Newcomer, 64, and Luis Felipe Calderón, 48, were killed, according to the Hamilton County Coroner's office.

Two other people were injured.

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Whitney Austin, 37, is among those shot who survived.

Whitney Austin was on a conference call, walking through the turnstile doors into Fifth Third's headquarters.

The 37-year-old works for the bank and is based in Louisville, but she travels often to Cincinnati.

As of Friday afternoon, she is in stable condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

Police believe Santa has been in Cincinnati since at least 2015. Records show he lived all over the country.

His neighbors in North Bend describe him as an increasingly bitter and reclusive man.

He also filed a lawsuit against CNBC last year that a federal magistrate described as "rambling, difficult to decipher and borders on delusional."

Santa was a part-time student at Cincinnati State, according to a statement from the college.

What was his motive?

Police haven't released the reason behind the shooting.

How has the community reacted?

Social media users have been tagging their thoughts with #cincinnatistrong and #cincystrong.

A moment of silence on Fountain Square is scheduled for Friday.

Gov. John Kasich ordered flags to be flown at half-staff at all public buildings and grounds in Hamilton County, and at the Statehouse, through Monday, Sept. 10.

What's next?

The Enquirer is continuing to gather information about the victims, the shooting and the gunman.

The Fifth Third main tower and lobby are locked down until police release it as a crime scene. Bank employees have been told to work from home or other offices until Monday.

"Our bank president has been visiting some branches and meeting with employees today, as have our senior leaders," Fifth Third spokeswoman Laura Trujillo said. "Our employees did the right things. They did shelter in place, they did the things people are supposed to do in response to an active shooter situation."

Some Fifth Third employees in the 580 building and 530 building and the short tower are at work Friday, and the company has counselors available for employees, Trujillo said.

"We have our Employee Assistance Program 24 hours a day available to anyone whether about this, or anything else," she said. "The company is very good at exercising flexibility, and we understand that people react differently to stress and traumatic events. People can work with their managers to make it work for them, whether they need to work from home or have some time off.

"Today we have LifeWorks counselors on site from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Monday when many people return to work. If we need them longer than that, we will certainly do that."

Trujillo said the company has protocols in place for variety of incidents.

"Every crisis is different, even if you have one in place for someone shooting in your lobby, decisions need to be made on spot," she said.

"We rely on the authorities. The very rapid response by our security team, the police, fire department and EMTs was critical in avoiding further injuries and loss of life, and taking care of people who needed attention. The fact that the police were here so quickly was really essential."