In the aftermath of the Dayton, Ohio shooting, it was initially announced that Connor Betts’ sister, Megan Betts, was actually his first victim. Recent reports have come out that contradict those claims.
The gunman, who left nine dead and several others injured, drove to the site of his killing spree together with his sister and her boyfriend, but at some point, the couple went their own way.
Megan was not, in fact, the first to get struck by his bullets. Instead, the killer first shot at a woman in a nearby alley, after which he opened fire on Ned Peppers bar where he killed his next set of victims, one of whom was his own sister.
The man accompanying Megan was also shot but survived and was interviewed by authorities investigating the case.
Police Chief Richard S. Biehl said the following of Megan: “She was not the first victim. But she was one of the initial victims. Right as he came out of the alleyway, she and another male who was a companion of the suspect was shot and wounded.”
Biehl went on to explain: “So they were victims initially after the first person was shot.”
The shooter was reportedly well prepared for the killings and was wearing body armor and carrying an AR-15-style assault rifle when he arrived at the scene.
Many police officers, who were already in the popular nightlife area, were able to respond to the scene very quickly.
Nonetheless, almost 30 people are being treated in nearby hospitals; thus far, there are no details about their conditions.
It is still not clear why the gunman decided to open fire and what his motivations might have been, mainly because he also killed his sister.
More reports are coming out daily, but authorities are holding specific details close to the vest as they work to paint a portrait of the mass shooter.
In the meantime, there has been ongoing speculation regarding what exactly might have gone down in the Oregon District.
The mourning family has not yet announced Megan Betts’ funeral plans. It has been revealed that Megan was a student at Wright State University. The young woman was studying earth and environmental sciences.
According to her profile on social media, Megan worked as a tour guide at the Missoula Smokejumper Visitor Center in Montana, and her former supervisor Daniel Cottrell told The Washington Post that she was “very positive person” and added: “We really enjoyed the time that she spent working here for us. She was full of life and really passionate. She was a very caring individual.”
Some are saying that the killer went after his sister because she was dating a black man.
One person had this to say: “He targeted a lot of black ppl!!! Build the wall around all white men until we get this shit to straighten out. The shooter in Dayton killed his sister because she was dating a black man. He then proceeded to kill five more black people just because. There is a sickness in this country, and Trump’s racist rhetoric had emboldened that sickness. #TrumpsTerrorists #ThisIsAmerica.”
Another social media user shared: “Why does it have to be ..black woman..black man..white man..white woman..who really cares..this dude really felt the need to murder HUMAN BEINGS..as a way to deal with whatever his issue was. FAMILIES WON’T SEE color..they see their loved ones that won’t be coming home to them..this is sad on so many levels..”
A third comment revealed: “So he went to a black club? Killed his sister and her bf… he killed them, black folks, first then his sister and her boyfriend tried to stop them or visa versa.. he needs the chair, and we gotta start talking about socially awkward racist…”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0wl5lUBDSk/
A fourth individual stated: “Finally, someone is calling this shit what it is, even if Donald Trump wants to continue to give his white supremacist followers a pass to keep their votes, their votes! This bastard is willing to sacrifice the majority for a dwindling minority. If the shooter had been of Mexican or Arab descent, Donald Trump would blow up Twitter last night and this morning with all sorts of red meat for his base.’ It’s time for not only Trump, but Congress to finally grow a pair and put the safety of the American people first, and stand up to the NRA, stop taking all that special interest money and do your damn job. Trump and his followers are always talking about ““Making America Great Again”” how about making America safe again, how about calling terrorism by’ it’s name and not sugar coating it because of the color of the’ terrorist’s skin, in my 49, almost 50 years I never thought I would ever see the day when kids’ couldn’t go to school without wonder if it would be the last time’ they’d ever leave home, people not being able to shop without worrying about some pissed off at the world white nationalist is going to open fire, when people’ can’t pray in our houses of worship, when is enough going to be enough? The silence from Washington is deafening, and the way I see it is silence is complicity!!! Shame on the White House and Congress.”
The fact that the shooter had endorsed left-wing ideology on social media has obscured the fact that race might have a factor in his killing spree.
