Nine people were killed in a mass shooting on August 4th, 2019, in Dayton’s Oregon District.
Here are brief looks at each of them. Over the next week, watch News Center 7 for extended coverage as the Miami Valley remembers the victims and the heroes, and for reports on what has changed in the past year.
Lois Oglesby, 27, mother of two
When the phone rang at 3 a.m., Derasha Merrett happened to be up, feeding her newborn. A friend was on the line, delivering horrible news through sobs: “Lois got shot and she’s dead.”
Merrett and Lois Oglesby were more than just friends.
“We grew up as cousins,” she said. “We grew up in the same church, on the same drill team. She works at my kids’ daycare. We all grew up in this little town. We’re all family. We’re all hurting behind this.”
Megan Betts, 22, Wright State University student and sister of the suspected shooter
Betts was studying environmental science at Wright State University, and was expected to graduate in 2020. She and a friend had gone to the Oregon District with her brother. Witnesses say he left them, then returned later and started shooting, killing Megan and 8 others.
Her family says Megan was active throughout her life, in Girl Scouts, on the Brookview swim team, the Bellbrook High School marching band and singing with the Wright State University Chorale
Megan had recently returned from Montana, where she had been working as a guide.
Nicholas Cumer, 25, graduate student
Nicholas Cumer was a Pennsylvania graduate student in town for an internship.
Saint Francis University President Fr. Malachi Van Tassell said in a letter to the Loretto, Penn., university that Nicholas Cumer, a graduate student in the Master of Cancer Care program, was one of the victims who died.
“Nicholas 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,” Van Tassell said.
Logan Turner, 30, machinist
A Springboro man killed in the shooting was the “world’s best son,” his mom said.
Logan Turner, 30, of Springboro, was one of the nine people shot and killed. Turner’s mom, Danita Turner, described her son as both “sweet and smart.”
Thomas McNichols, 25, father of four
Thomas McNichols, known to all as T.J. and a father of four, was a ‘gentle giant,’ according to his aunt.
“He was so tall and a lot of folks thought he was older than he really was,” said Donna Johnson.
McNichols, 25, was living with Johnson in her Westwood neighborhood home in Dayton.
Derrick Fudge, 57, ‘A good man and loved his family’
The sister of Derrick Fudge was out in downtown Dayton with family when he was killed.
Twyla Southall said her brother’s son, Dion Green, son’s fiance and several others were all downtown together with Fudge, who was a 57-year-old Springfield resident.
She said that Fudge loved his family and had a dog Lucy that he “absolutely loved.”
Monica Brickhouse, 39, ‘like another aunt’
Monica Brickhouse, of Springfield, is remembered for her kindness.
Brittany Hart, a friend of Brickhouse, posted on Facebook that she was “in shock” to learn that her friend had been killed. Brickhouse was “like another aunt” to her, Hart said.
Saeed Saleh, 39
A Dayton man, Saeed Saleh, killed in the Sunday shooting at the Oregon District was a native of the Eastern African country of Eritrea. He moved to the United States from Malta with his wife Zaid and his daughter Randa. The family first moved to Richmond, Va., before moving to Dayton. They arrived in the United States in 2017. In addition to supporting his wife and daughter, Saleh also supported family members who remained in Eritrea.
Beatrice Warren-Curtis, 36
Beatrice “Nicole” Warren-Curtis, 36, was in the Oregon District with her friend Monica Brickhouse, who also died in the tragedy.
“To lose a loved one to senseless violence is just unfair, especially since it could have been prevented,” a friend told our reporters.
