CINCINNATI (AP) — Gunfire erupted inside a crowded nightclub early Sunday, killing one person and wounding more than a dozen others.
There was no indication the shooting at the Cameo club was terrorism related, police said. Assistant Police Chief Paul Neudigate said in a tweet that the motive was still unclear. Authorities also didn’t immediately have any suspects in the 1:30 a.m. shooting on a busy weekend night.
Neudigate tweeted that there was only one reported shooter but that police were investigating whether others were involved. Police had earlier said “at least a couple of shooters” were involved.
Fifteen people were shot, police said. Some drove themselves to hospitals and others were taken by ambulance.
Capt. Kim Williams said there was “just a lot of chaos, obviously, when shots were fired.”
“Saturday night, it is a very young crowd. We have had incidents here in the past, but this is by far the worst,” she said.
Several officers were working security at the club; some performed first aid and tried to revive the person who died, police said.
A single body was removed by the coroner shortly after 6 a.m. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was also at the scene.
WLWT reported that at least one person was in critical condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
Authorities asked anyone with information to come forward. Investigators were checking to see if surveillance cameras were working, Williams said.
The area is mostly industrial but also home to several nightclubs with a smattering of homes. A regional airport is nearby along the Ohio River. The area is fairly desolate at night, with the exception of the nightlife scene and 24-hour gas stations. The road where the club sits was easily cordoned off by a single police cruiser and officer at either end.
First responders had problems reaching the shooting victims because the parking lots were full, Sgt. Eric Franz told the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Authorities are interviewing several witnesses, but Williams said a lot of the clubgoers had left.
“The biggest problem when you have a large crowd like this and the shots ring out, a lot of the witnesses disappear,” she said.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich said on Twitter that he was “saddened to learn about last night’s shooting” and that he was offering the state’s assistance.
Cameo’s Facebook profile says it caters to college students on Friday nights, when anyone over 18 is allowed in, while Saturdays are “grown and sexy night” for ages 21 and older.
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