Cincinnati Shooting: Victims Killed In Fountain Square Identified

CINCINNATI — Four people are dead following a shooting spree Thursday morning at the Fifth Third Bank at Fountain Square in the heart of Cincinnati, officials said. Included among the dead is the suspect, who was killed by officers, Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot Isaac said during a press conference.

At a press conference late Thursday afternoon, Isaac said the suspect had been identified as 29-year-old Omar Perez. The lone suspect came through the loading dock area of the Fifth Third Bank and began firing shots at about 9:10 a.m. The suspect then moved to the lobby area where he was engaged by police and killed, Isaac said. Four officers engaged the shooter and he was killed at the scene.

There were five people shot by the gunman during the attack. University of Cincinnati Medical Center received four of the victims, two of whom died at the hospital, according to Issac. One of the victims was pronounced dead at the scene. The victims were identified as Prudhui Raj Kandepi, 25, Richard Newcomer, 64 and Luis Calderon, 48, according to police.

"Our physicians and staff are focused on caring for the patients and their families. We prepare for situations like these and hope they never happen," UC Medical Center said on social media.

Isaac said the investigation is active and police have executed a search warrant at Perez's home in North Bend. Perez apparently had one weapon and significant ammunition, according to Isaac. Police said they are still processing evidence and are looking for any opportunity to gain greater insight into the motive behind Thursday's shooting.

Downtown Cincinnati is now safe, Isaac said. Police were on the scene within "seconds" of receiving reports of an active shooter, Mayor John Cranley added, and the Fountain Square area will begin re-opening gradually. All events on the Square scheduled for Thursday have been canceled, according to Fountain Square.

Cranley was disturbed by the shooting and offered his thoughts and prayers to the families of the victims. He also advocated for his city's ability to regulate the purchase of guns.

"There is something deeply sick at-work here and we as a country need to face it," Cranley said. He said all solutions need to be put on the table to deal with the plague of mass shootings in the U.S.

In a statement, Fifth Third Bank offered its thoughts and prayers to those affected by the shooting and said they were grateful for the support from their neighbors in Cincinnati and the country. The bank said it was continuing to work with law enforcement.

Victims services are available through the police department's victims assistance liaison unit at 513-352-6421.

Police are now moving into an investigation of the incident. "There is much work to be done and we're very early in the investigatory process," Isaac said. Governor John Kasich has offered the state's full resources to the investigation.

Patch will update this story as additional information becomes public.

(For more news like this, find your local Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here. And like Patch on Facebook!)

Photo: Emergency personnel and police work the scene of shooting near Fountain Square, Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018, in downtown Cincinnati. Photo by John Minchillo/Associated Press