A packed nightclub with a history of violence in Cincinnati, Ohio erupted into chaos early Sunday morning when several people reportedly opened fire after an altercation. The shooters escaped.
“Several local men got into some type of dispute inside the bar and it escalated into shots being fired from several individuals,” Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot Isaac said. One person was killed and 15 others were injured, including one who was “in extremely critical condition.” Law enforcement officials say there is no sign that the shooting at the Cameo Nightlife club was in any way related to terrorism.
“At this point it’s unclear exactly what instigated the shooting,” Captain Kimberly Williams said at a briefing. “Just a lot of chaos when the shots went off.” Although the local police chief first said there were several gunmen involved, a top official later took to Twitter to say that so far there was only one reported gunman.
Police are having trouble obtaining a description of the suspects because witnesses are reluctant to cooperate. “We need people to come forward,” Mayor John Cranley said. “We need people to have courage to come forward to identify the shooter or shooters in this case.”
Williams said there had been “multiple problems” at Cameo in the past. There had last been a shooting inside the club on New Year’s Day in 2015, and another shootout broke out in the club’s parking lot in September.
