In the early morning of August 4, 2019, a 24-year-old man opened fire in the Oregon Historic District of Dayton, Ohio, killing nine people and wounding 17 others near the entrance of the Ned Peppers Bar. A total of 27 people were taken to area hospitals as a result of the attack. It is described as the deadliest mass shooting in Ohio since the 1975 Easter Sunday Massacre. The attack occurred approximately 13 hours after a separate mass shooting in El Paso, Texas.
Surveillance and witness accounts established that the gunman had spent time at nearby bars with his brother and a friend before separating from them, retrieving body armor, a mask, earmuffs, and a backpack from his car, and arming himself with an AR-pattern pistol fitted with a 100-round drum magazine. He began firing at approximately 1:05 a.m., moving along East 5th Street and firing 41 rounds in less than 30 seconds. Victims killed included Saeed Saleh, Lois Oglesby, Derrick Fudge, Logan Turner, Nicholas Cumer, Thomas McNichols, Monica Brickhouse, Beatrice Warren-Curtis, and the shooter's brother, Jordan Cofer. Responding police officers engaged the gunman within 20 seconds of the first shots and fatally shot him roughly 32 seconds after the attack began, discharging 65 rounds among six officers. An autopsy found the shooter had received 30 direct gunshot wounds along with additional grazing and shrapnel injuries.
An autopsy of two of the deceased victims found they had also been struck by police gunfire in addition to wounds from the shooter. The Montgomery County Coroner concluded that the shooter's own gunfire, not the police shots, was the cause of death in both cases.
A search of the shooter's home and online activity showed an interest in violence and mass shootings and evidence he had expressed a desire to commit one. He described himself as a leftist and antifa sympathizer and had "liked" social media posts related to gun control and reactions to the El Paso shooting. A preliminary law-enforcement assessment did not find evidence of a racial or political motive. Former classmates said he had been suspended from high school in 2010 after making a list of students he wanted to kill and rape, prompting a police investigation at the time. A federal law enforcement official said investigators were examining whether he had any association with incel groups. Toxicology results released by the coroner found cocaine, alcohol, and Xanax in his system, along with cocaine and a vape pen found on his person. An FBI investigation concluded in 2021 that he acted alone, was not directed by any organization, and had fantasized about mass violence for at least a decade.
The shooting prompted national reactions, including statements from President Donald Trump, Ohio officials, and members of Congress, as well as international responses including remarks by Pope Francis and travel advisories from several foreign governments.