DAYTON, Ohio – In two mass shootings this weekend, dozens of people were killed, leaving people coping with the loss of their loved ones.
First, in El Paso, a 21-year-old man opened fire inside a Walmart. The death toll in that mass shooting has jumped to 22.
Hours later in Dayton, Ohio, a 24-year-old man gunned down nine people at a bar in the city’s vibrant Oregon District. Police said the gunman had 250 rounds on him but only managed to fire 41 shots.
“I’m not going to lie. I was in fear,” said Anthony Reynolds.
Reynolds was afraid he wasn’t going to make it. On Monday, he was back at Ned Peppers, the same spot where he thought he was going to die. “I've never seen a massacre, like bodies just everywhere,” said Reynolds.
Police said 24-year-old Connor Betts fired multiple shots outside Ned Peppers Bar on Sunday morning.
Nine are dead, including Betts' own sister. Twenty-seven people were injured in total. Reynolds said he was leaving the club when the shooting started. There was chaos inside and outside the club. A pile of shoes was left behind as people tried to get out.
“I get about 10 feet away from the line at the back of the line, it was about 60 people trying to get into the club, then I hear the first gunshot,” said Reynolds.
Then there were more shots. “Soon after that, it just went rapid-fire. You heard boom, boom, boom. So we started running,” said Reynolds.
“I looked down at the sidewalk and just see a row of, a row of bodies of people shot. Some alive, some not,” said Kayla Miller.
Miller described the scene inside Ned Peppers.
“Everyone was just crawling to the back exit, just fighting to get out of the bar,” said Miller.
Reynolds said his friend’s wife was also inside, but she didn’t make it out. She called her husband to say goodbye.
“She called him. She was able to Facetime as she was shot. She didn’t know she was dying. She said it was sad. She checked on her kids, told him she love him. Told him what happened, and that’s when she collapsed on out,” said Reynolds.
Annette Gibson is grieving over the tragedy.
“These were just innocent, innocent people,” said Gibson.
You could see the grief in Gibson’s eyes and the pain in her voice. On Monday, she stood outside Ned Peppers.
“All of these babies, and these mothers, kids, fathers and sisters and brother are hurting. Because some dumb person came down here and did this,” said Gibson.
“It hurts. It hurts, hurts bad,” said April Jones.
Jones also stopped by Ned Peppers. She said she has questions, a lot of them. “These people are able to get these guns,” said Jones.
Many are wondering how this is possible.
“These politicians need to stop putting party and politics before human life because people dying out here,” said Reynolds.
People here in Dayton said the flowers are nice, but they want to remember and honor the victims.
Here is a list of the victims' names and ages:
- 27-year-old Lois L. Oglesby
- 22-year-old Megan K. Betts
- 38-year-old Saeed Saleh
- 57-year-old Derrick R. Fudge
- 30-year-old Logan M. Turner
- 25-year-old Nicholas P. Cumer
- 25-year-old Thomas J. McNichols
- 36-year-old Beatrice N. Warren-Curtis
- 39-year-old Monica E. Brickhouse