In the early morning hours on Sunday, the Oregon District in downtown Dayton, Ohio, was bustling with life as usual: The historic neighborhood is lined with bars and nightclubs, and has the reputation as being very safe.
But at 1:05 a.m. on the 400 block of East 5th Street, the unimaginable occurred when a man carrying a rifle and wearing body armor began shooting. His spree lasted for just 30 seconds before he was shot dead by police, but it left nine innocent people dead and 27 injured.
Adding to the horror was that the shooting occurred less than 24 hours after a gunman opened fire inside a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, killing 20 people and wounding 26.
While mourning the loss of life, Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley praised the quick police response, saying that “hundreds of people in the Oregon District could be dead today” had authorities not acted fast.
Below is a list of the victims of the Dayton attack. This post will be updated as more information becomes available.
Logan Turner, 30
On Sunday, the Turners planned to celebrate Logan’s 30th birthday — his grandmother had baked his favorite German Chocolate cake for the occasion.
A former high school varsity football player, Turner loved fixing cars and worked as a machinist, his family members said. On the night he died, he was out with a friend he has known since Kindergarten, who got shot in the arm.
His aunt, Susan Scherbauer, described him as a “wonderful, caring person,” and said through tears that the cake his grandmother baked is still on the counter “waiting for him.”
“He had a good job. He had his own home. He had just met a girl he was so happy about. You could just see it on his face.”
Thomas McNichols, 25
The Dayton Daily News reports McNichols was a beloved father of four who was known as a “gentle giant,” his aunt Donna Johnson said.
“Everybody loved him. He was like a big kid,” Johnson said, reports WHIO. “When all of the movies come out – Batman, Black Panther – he would get all his nephews and take them to the movies.”
Cousin Jevin Lamar told The New York Times that McNichols was “a great father, a great brother — he was a protector.”
Lamar said McNichols was known as Teejay, and that he played kickball at family functions.
Nicholas Cumer, 25
Cumer was a graduate student at Saint Francis University in Pennsylvania in the Master of Cancer Care program, according to a press release from the school.
He was in Dayton as part of his internship program with the Maple Tree Cancer Alliance. Last week, Maple Tree offered him a full-time position to run one of their new offices, according to Maple Tree’s Facebook page.
“Nick is remembered for his hard work and dedication to Maple Tree,” the post says. “He loved his patients and served them well, with a loving and caring spirit. He continuously went above and beyond our expectations and worked with a high level of excellence. He was well liked and respected by everyone on our team, and we all will miss him very much.”
The Saint Francis release says Cumer “was dedicated to caring for others. He was recognized at the 2019 Community Engagement Awards among students who had completed 100+ hours of service. In addition he was a graduate assistant with the university marching band.”
Lois Oglesby, 27
Oglesby was a mother of two who had just had her second baby last month, her uncle, Joe Oglesby, told The Washington Post.
Her friend Derasha Merrett told the Dayton Daily News that she received a horrific phone call at 3 a.m. from a mutual friend telling her Lois was dead.
“We grew up in the same church, on the same drill team. She works at my kids’ daycare,” Merrett said. “We all grew up in this little town. We’re all family.”
Megan Betts, 22
Betts was a student at Wright State University studying earth and environmental sciences, according to her student profile.
According to her LinkedIn page, she had spent time recently as a tour guide at the Missoula Smokejumper Visitor Center in Montana, which is dedicated to forest preservation and fire prevention.
Daniel Cottrell, her former supervisor at the center, described Betts to The Washington Post as a “very positive person” who was well-liked by her peers.
“We really enjoyed the time that she spent working here for us. She was full of life and really passionate,” Cottrell said. “She was a very caring individual.”
Derrick Fudge, 57
Fudge’s niece, Asia Fudge, told NPR that he was a resident of Springfield, Ohio, who was visiting the Oregon District with his niece.
“He had a dog … that he loved dearly. … He was fun, happy,” Asia Fudge said.
Twyla Southall told the Dayton Daily News that her family members were out that night with Fudge. Southall said Fudge loved his family as well as his dog.
Monica Brickhouse, 39
Brickhouse lived in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and traveled with friend Beatrice Warren Curtis to Ohio. Warren Curtis was also killed in the attack.
She ran a design, event planning and catering company called Two Good Girls, according to her Facebook page. According to her Linkedin account, she was a Recovery Specialist with Anthem in Norfolk, Virginia.
The Dayton Daily News reports that Brittany Hart, a friend of Brickhouse’s, wrote on Facebook, “This just can’t be real,” and described Brickhouse as “like another aunt to me.”
“To lose a loved one to senseless violence is just unfair, especially since it could be preventable!!” Hart wrote. “I am so sorry this has happened to you all!”
Beatrice Warren Curtis, 36
Sayid Saleh, 38
Source: Read Full Article