Dayton, Ohio shooting: nine dead in second US mass killing in 24 hours | US news

Nine people have been killed and at least 16 injured in a shooting early on Sunday in Dayton, Ohio, police have said.

Police said the suspect was shot and killed by responding officers.

The injured have been taken to the local Miami Valley hospital, spokeswoman Terrea Little said. She could not confirm their conditions.

The shooting came hours after at least 20 people were killed in another mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas.

Dayton police tweeted that an active shooter situation began in the Oregon district at 1am local time, but that officers nearby were able to “put an end to it quickly”.

Video from the scene near downtown Dayton showed a number of emergency vehicles on a street that had been cordoned off.

Elizabeth Long, a spokeswoman for Kettering Health Network, a group of hospitals in the area, said victims from a shooting had been taken to local hospitals but did not have details on how many.

The Oregon district is a historic neighbourhood near downtown Dayton, home to bars, restaurants and theatres. Police have not said where in the district the shooting took place.

The FBI was assisting with the investigation.

The Ohio shooting came hours after a young man allegedly opened fire in a crowded shopping area in El Paso, Texas, leaving 20 dead and more than two dozen injured.

Days before, on 28 July, a 19-year-old shot and killed three people, including two children, at the Gilroy garlic festival in northern California.

Matt Carper, of the Dayton police department, told the media the shooting had taken place “over a very short timeline” on the the city’s east 5th street.

“Currently we are working on identifying the suspect to see what the possible motivation might have been. We do not have that yet,” he said. “The suspect was firing a long gun with multiple rounds at the victims.

“We’re investigating the possibility of more people being involved. It looks like it might just be the one person.”

Carper said there had been police officers on patrol in the area when the shooting started. “We are very fortunate that the officers were in close proximity and that they reacted in the way that they did,” he said.

“As bad as this is, it could have been much, much worse as I think everyone will become aware of here as more information unfolds. So we’re very appreciative of the officers who were on scene and the action that they took.”

More details soon …