US nightclub shooting leaves 1 dead, 14 injured

Cincinnati, March 26 

Gunfire erupted inside a crowded nightclub early today, killing one person and wounding 14 others. The police said there was no indication the shooting at the Cameo club was terrorism related. Assistant Police Chief Paul Neudigate said in a tweet that the motive was still unclear, however. Authorities also didn’t immediately have any suspects in the 1:30 am shooting on a busy weekend night.

Neudigate tweeted that there was only one reported shooter but that police were investigating whether others were involved. The police earlier said “at least a couple of shooters” were involved.

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 detail at the club and performed first aid and tried to revive the person who died, Williams said.

A single body was removed by the coroner shortly after 6 am. Fifteen people were shot, police said. Some of them drove themselves to area hospitals and others were taken by ambulance.

Authorities asked anyone with information to come forward. Investigators are checking to see if surveillance cameras were working, Williams said. WLWT reported that at least one person was in critical condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

The area is mostly industrial but also home to several nightclubs with a smattering of homes. 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.

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. — AP