Cincinnati Shooting: Candlelight vigil brings city together to heal

CINCINNATI — The latest in the deadly Cincinnati shooting that occurred at the Fifth Third Center on Fountain Square:

 • WHAT HAPPENED: Police received a call at 9:11 a.m. Thursday about an active shooter in the Fifth Third Bank Center lobby, 511 Walnut St., on Fountain Square.

 • THE VICTIMS: Pruthvi Raj Kendepi, 25; Luis Felipe Calderon, 48; and Richard Newcomer, 64, were killed. One of the two people injured was hit by gunfire at least 12 times. She is in stable condition.

• THE SHOOTER: Police shot and killed Omar Santa-Perez, 29, in the banking center lobby as he exchanged gunfire with them. Police have not been able to establish a motive for the shooting.

>> Cincinnati Shooting: No apparent cause or motive, police chief says

>> Court documents: Shooter Omar Perez said he was being watched

>> Deadly Cincinnati shooting: What we know now

UPDATE @ 4:31 p.m.: 

Hundreds joined hands at Fountain Square Friday afternoon during a public candlelight vigil for the Fifth Third shooting.

“Our support continues to go to this community that we love. We are Cincinnati strong ... and we will continue to take care of each other through this crisis,” said Michael Johnson, United Way of Greater Cincinnati president and CEO.

Johnson was joined by Greg Carmichael, chairman and CEO of Fifth Third Bank, as well as Mayor John Cranley, Pastor Ennis Tate and Pastor Brian Tome.

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra played a musical selection.

Tait and Tome lead the group with words of encouragement, while Cranley honored first responders.

“I have never been more frightened,” Cranley said of watching police body camera footage of an officer pulling up to the scene and soon facing fire from the shooter.

As Cranley spoke, a nearby siren ripped through silent crowd in an eerie reminder of yesterday’s events.

“What an enormous relief that the cavalry showed up; that the good guys were there,” Cranley said of first responders on the scene.

“I’m glad we could take this moment for our city and everyone that is hurt,” Johnson, of the United Way, said after asking everyone in attendance to hold hands and hug.

A blood drive will take place Monday at Fountain Square, according to Johnson, who encouraged everyone to participate.

UPDATE @ 12:32 p.m.:

Surveillance and body camera footage released Friday by Cincinnati police showed a gunman firing shots throughout Fifth Third Bank before being struck.

With a briefcase carrying 250 rounds of ammunition, Omar Santa-Perez open fired as he made his way around the bank lobby.

Cincinnati shooting: 4 dead; gunman ID'd The latest on the shooting that left 4 dead at the Fifth Third Bank in Cincinnati Thursday morning.

In surveillance video, Santa-Perez turns to the windows as officers begin firing, striking him.

Body camera footage showed officers approaching the bank before shooting through the windows at Santa-Perez. One of the officers is showing entering the doors of the lobby while continuing to fire.

Police Chief Eliot Isaac said footage was edited and that “the actual footage is extremely graphic.”

However, Isaac also noted that surveillance showed the “heroic actions” of a security guard, who is seen helping a person in the bank lobby take cover.

In one of the two 911 calls played during the press conference, a woman in the Fountain Square Graeter’s bathroom reports hearing gunshots.

She said she doesn’t know what’s going on, but thinks there’s a shooting.

She described the gunman as wearing a business suit.

In the second 911 call, a male said there are lots of people running around Fountain Square saying there’s a shooter.

Santa-Perez fired 35 rounds with a Taurus 9mm semi-automatic handgun, which jammed at one point, according to Isaac.

The handgun was purchased legally in August.

He fired the first shot at 9:06 a.m. and police stopped him four minutes and 28 seconds later.

Officers fired 11 rounds. It is not yet known which officer struck Santa-Perez.

The officers who engaged Santa-Perez are Jennifer Chilton, Antonio Etter, Eric Kaminsky and Gregory Toyeas.

“The heroism of these officers is truly remarkable,” said Mayor John Cranley. “You can see in the video, the guy shooting at the cops, and them not being afraid and engaging to end it.”

Cranley also thanked 911 dispatchers.

“You can see this was a team effort to end the violence as quickly as possible, to remove the threat and save lives,” he said.

The motive behind the shooting is still unclear.

Isaac said Santa-Perez had filed a lawsuit and may have been trying to make his way to the federal courthouse.

Santa-Perez did not have a criminal history in Cincinnati, but did have misdemeanor offenses in South Carolina and Palm Beach, Fla.

INITIAL REPORT:

Cincinnati police are continuing to investigate a Thursday downtown shooting at Fifth Third Bank that killed three people and injured two.

Police are having a press conference at 12:30 p.m. Friday at the Linn Street Criminal Investigations Building.

Mayor John Cranley told WCPO that body camera of police officers responding to the scene are expected to be released today.

He described the video as “frightening and harrowing.”

Cranley also said that video surveillance from inside the Fifth Third lobby is “grotesque and an act of pure evil.”

Fifth Third Bank remained closed Friday, but neighboring businesses are reopening, according to WCPO.

A community gathering is planned for 4 p.m. at Fountain Square with Cincinnati Councilman PG Sittenfeld, United Way, Fifth Third Bank and community leaders.

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