One person was killed and 15 other people were wounded in a shooting at a crowded nightclub early Sunday in Cincinnati, in U.S. Midwestern state of Ohio, officials said.
Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot Isaac said as the night unfolded several local men got into a dispute inside the bar and it escalated to shots being fired.
“The bar was very crowded,” Isaac said with approximately hundreds of people.
“As a result there were 16 people that sustained gunshot injuries, one of which is diseased. A total of 15 others that were injured, one is in extremely critical condition… several others [with] more serious injuries and some very minor,” the chief said.
Police said the family of 27-year-old Obryan Spikes, dead at the scene, has been notified.
Assistant Police Chief Paul Neudigate said the scene at the Cameo Night Club was “a very horrific situation” and added on Twitter “there are no indications this incident is terrorism related.”
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Local television station WLWT reported several of the victims had life-threatening injuries, and officials have not said whether anyone is in custody.
While some victims were taken to hospitals by ambulance, others drove themselves, according to local reports.
“[There was] just a lot of chaos, obviously, when shots were fired,” Capt. Kim Williams said. “Saturday night, it is a very young crowd. We have had incidents here in the past, but this is by far the worst.”
A local TV station, WLWT, reported that at least one person was in critical condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
Authorities are interviewing several witnesses, but Capt. Williams said since a lot of the clubgoers left, the ongoing investigation becomes challenging.
“The biggest problem when you have a large crowd like this and the shots ring out, a lot of the witnesses disappear,” she said.
It is not immediately clear what caused the deadly incident as officials said the motive is still unclear.