At least nine people were killed and 27 people injured early Sunday when a gunman wearing body armor and carrying ammunition magazines opened fire in a crowded bar in Dayton, Ohio, officials said.
Nearly a dozen terrified patrons sought cover in a bathroom, not sure if people desperately pushing on the door to get in were other people seeking safety or the gunman.
The shooter, who was believed to have acted alone, was killed by responding officers, police said.
The incident came less than 24 hours after an attack in a Walmart and mall in El Paso, Texas, left 20 people dead and 26 injured .
“This is a day that we all dread happening,” Mayor Nan Whaley of Dayton said at a press conference on Sunday morning.
“What's very sad is I have gotten messages from cities across the country — so many of us have gone through it,” she said.
Media reports and eyewitness accounts to NBC News suggest the shooting took place outside of Ned Peppers Bar, in the heart of Dayton's historic Oregon District.
Taylor Mayberry, who said she was inside Ned Peppers Bar when the shooting took place early Sunday, told NBC News she hid in the bar's bathroom as “tons of gunshots” were going off.
“I just heard a few gunshots and then saw everyone jumping to the ground,” she said. “I've never experienced anything like that, so I dove to the ground and started running to the bathroom. I saw people trying to move toward the exit.”
She said she was one of the last people to be let into the bathroom, where 10 other people were taking shelter.
“We were holding the door shut and waiting until the gunshots stopped,” Mayberry said. “People were banging on the doors throughout. We weren’t sure if they were … you know … we weren’t sure if it was people getting in to shoot us or to get safe.”
The entire incident, which took place at around 1 a.m. ET., unfolded outside the bar, police said