A candlelight vigil for victims of the Dayton shooting erupted into shouts of “do something” as Ohio Governor Mike DeWine took the stage. Taking place on Monday, the vigil was held in Dayton’s historic Oregon District, the location of the Sunday mass shooting that left nine people dead.
“We’re here tonight because we know that we cannot…we know that we cannot…ease the pain of those families who have lost someone,” DeWine said amid the increasingly loud chants. “We also know that we want to do something.”
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Taking the stage shortly after, according to The Hill, Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley thanked the governor and asked the crowd to be respectful during this time of mourning, stating, “This is a vigil for the people that we’ve lost. This is a vigil for the people that we’ve lost.”
WATCH: Crowd chants “do something” as Ohio governor speaks during vigil for Dayton shooting victims https://t.co/kqaZeDAxuN pic.twitter.com/ZTXQ0X2PGD
— The Hill (@thehill) August 5, 2019
At around 1 .a.m on Sunday, Aug. 4, 24-year-old Connor Betts opened fire with a .233-caliber rifle outside of the Ned Peppers Bar in the Oregon District, a popular spot for Dayton’s nightlife. Nine people were killed, including Betts’ 22-year-old sister, ranging in age from 25 to 57. Nearly 30 more were injured.
The shooting marked the 250th mass shooting in the United States in 2019 and came less than 24 hours after a gunman opened fire inside of a crowded Walmart in El Paso, Texas, killing 22 and wounding more than a dozen others. Both shootings came less than a week after a 19-year-old man opened fire at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Northern California, killing three and injuring 15 others.
In the wake of three mass shootings in just the span of a week, calls for gun control have grown louder, with social media being flooded with various trending hashtags calling for reform.
Addressing the nation in a press conference at the White House Monday morning, President Donald Trump denounced white supremacy and racism.
“These barbaric slaughters are an assault upon our communities, an attack upon our nation and a crime against all of humanity,” he said. “In one voice, our nation must condemn racism, bigotry and white supremacy. These sinister ideologies must be defeated. Hate has no place in America.”
He went on to cite mental health as a major factor in the shootings and claimed that “we must stop the glorification of violence in our society. This includes the gruesome and grisly video games that are now commonplace.”
