CINCINNATI — Four people are dead, including the gunman, in a downtown Cincinnati bank shooting, police said on Thursday.
Police Chief Eliot Isaac said the shooter opened fire early in the morning at the loading dock of the Fifth Third Bank office building. Isaac said the gunman then entered the bank's lobby where he exchanged gunfire with police. It's unclear if the gunman shot himself or was shot by officers.
No motive had immediately been determined.
One of the victims died at the scene. At least two other people were injured.
Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley said the gunman was "actively shooting innocent victims" and that it was a "horrific" scene.
The scene was announced as secure at about 9:15 a.m. No officers were injured.
Three men and one woman were transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, hospital officials said. Each suffered gunshot wounds, officials said.
Capt. Jeff Butler said no more victims will be brought to the UCMC emergency room.
Mayor Cranley noted the Fifth Third building on the city's Fountain Square houses popular ice cream, sandwich and pastry shops. He said it "could have been much, much worse" if not for the immediate police response to end the threat.
Leonard Cain was going back inside the bank when someone alerted him of the shooting. He said a woman was also walking into the bank and people tried to get her attention but she had headphones on.
"She walked in the door and he shot her," Cain told The Enquirer.
Cain said he heard up to 15 shots fired.
Other witnesses said saw at least two people on stretchers being loaded into ambulances on 5th Street in front of Greater’s.
Zach Fritzhand, who works on the second floor of the Westin hotel building, said the people he saw on the stretchers were not moving.
“There was definitely a lot of blood involved,” he said.
Michael Richardson, who works in the Fifth Third Bank building, was just outside the main doors on Fountain Square, smoking a cigarette when he heard gunshots.
He saw a man firing a gun inside the bank lobby.
“I looked behind me and saw the guy – he shot and then he shot again. After that I started running. I went around to the north side of the building and sat down.”
Richardson, who works for Priority Installation, saw a police officer dragging a woman out of the bank lobby.
The Cincinnati office of the FBI sent agents to the scene to assist Cincinnati police Thursday morning.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
Contributing: Angie Wang, Associated Press
