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Latest on Cameo nightclub shooting: Total hit up to 17, no security footage provided

Cameron Knight, and Anne Saker
Cincinnati
A large crime scene unit at the Cameo Night Club on Kellogg Ave. in Linwood, next to the Rivertown Marina. The overnight shooting at the club, which was packed according to police, left one dead and 14 injured. Police called the scene "chaotic and complicated".

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Update, 10:42 a.m. Monday: Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot Isaac, while providing an update Monday morning at City Hall, said that an additional individual came forward Sunday evening claiming to have been struck by gunfire at Cameo nightclub, bringing the total injured by gunfire to 17.

"We are very confident we will find who is responsible for this," Isaac said.

Isaac added during the morning Law Committee meeting at City Hall that he does not believe there is footage of the shooting from within the nightclub.

Previous reporting: As clubgoers danced away a Saturday night, armed men apparently hoping to settle a daylong score opened fire inside East End’s Cameo nightclub in the bloodiest mass shooting in the nation so far this year. Though first responders performed rescue medicine, one man died of his injuries and 15 others were injured from gunshot wounds.

The violence at 1:30 a.m. triggered a sweeping panic inside the packed club while patrons raced to flee. Once on the scene to triage victims, police and firefighters had to step over wounded bodies to determine which patients needed the most immediate care, Dan Hils, president of the Cincinnati Fraternal Order of Police, said.

Through the day and into the evening, investigators scoured the city for the people responsible for the shootings. The Rev. Peterson Mingo of Evanston’s Christ Temple Church said he and other leaders of the African-American community have heard from citizens who “have been giving us names and we’re sending them to the police, and they say they’re cooperating.”

At a news conference 10 hours after the shooting Mayor John Cranley and Police Chief Eliot Isaac said authorities were searching for more than one shooter, and they urged anyone with information on what Cranley called “this heinous crime” to contact police.

Cameo shooting shocks Cincinnati hip-hop community

“People were just going to have a good time, and they got shot. That is totally unacceptable,” Cranley said. City Manager Harry Black issued a statement saying the shooting was the culmination of a squabble “between two specific groups or individuals earlier in the day, escalating and ultimately leading to this tragedy.”

Sunday afternoon, the space around the sprawling Cameo club was quiet; by then, the doors were locked and the crime scene tape already coiled in messy piles. Several personal items had been left behind -- a lone tennis shoe, a nice pair of flip-flops, mobile phones. A contrast to the location's reputation as an active dance club that had been patronized previously by national hip-hop acts.

Isaac identified the dead man as O’Bryan Raphael Spikes, 27, of Winton Hills. He did not provide any further information about Spikes except that his family had been notified.

O'Bryan Raphael Spikes

Cameo had paid for four off-duty police officers to patrol the parking lot, and they were the first to respond to the shooting, Hils, the FOP president, said.

“They saw a lot of the patrons running out in an absolute panic,” Hils said. “They were literally stepping over victims to get to more critically injured victims. So you’re talking about a very horrific scene there. They tried everything they could to save the one gentleman’s life. They performed CPR, the police officer did, but to no avail.”

On Monday morning, two people remained in critical condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

Seven more people were treated at UCMC for injuries. Four have been released, and three others are in stable condition, said spokeswoman Kelly Martin.

Two other gunshot victims were treated at Bethesda North Hospital, one at Mercy Health-Anderson Hospital and two at the Christ Hospital. Officials at facilities said those patients had been released by noon Sunday.

Cranley flatly ruled out any connection to international terrorism, “But to the victims, what difference does it make? They have been terrorized by gun violence, and they are innocent victims. … This is a tragedy that has struck other communities, and now it has struck Cincinnati.”

The Cameo nightclub incident is the nation’s worst mass shooting, for total number of victims, so far this year, according to Gunviolencearchive.org. The nation has had 71 mass shootings this year, the website reports.

Cincinnati has experienced at least nine shootings of more than four victims in Cincinnati since 2013, the most recent before Sunday's on Feb. 28 when six people were shot at a Northside apartment building.

Mass shootings in Cincinnati: Not as rare as you'd think

The worst mass shooting in recent city history was Aug. 21, 2015, when two people were killed and five injured at the Elks club in Madisonville. One person died and seven were injured in a July 2016 shooting at a Hamilton bar.

At the news conference, Isaac said the nightclub had also hired private security to use hand-held metal detectors to check for guns. But at least one patron said that by 12:30 a.m., the “wanding” for weapons had ended.

Sherell Johnson, a Cincinnati native now living in Chicago, came home for a spring break weekend with family. She said she and her sister decided to go to Cameo with their boyfriends around 12:30 a.m. Sunday.

By then, Johnson said, the line to get into the club was long, and a security officer at the door “wasn’t patting them down (for weapons). He was just accepting the money, telling people this is the no-wait line, they were paying $40 to $60 to get in that line.”

While in line, Angel Cruz, Johnson's boyfriend, said he “had a bad feeling” and went back to their rental car. Johnson followed. The couple discovered the car was boxed in by another vehicle. Johnson went to the club’s door to get some help. At around 1:30 a.m., one off-duty police officer went inside the club to get help for the couple, “and that’s when the shooting started.”

Immediately, Johnson said she dropped to the ground, and Cruz lay on top of her until the tide of fleeing people ebbed. They got back to their car, which was now unblocked.

Kasich on Cincinnati nightclub shooting: 'Where is it safe to go?'

“We left Chicago to get away from all that,” Cruz said.

Isaac said first responders had difficulty getting to the club because patrons who had filled the parking lot were trying to leave the scene quickly. Sgt. Eric Franz said several victims tried to drive themselves to a hospital. At least two cars were abandoned on Kellogg Avenue when drivers decided they needed paramedics to complete the trip to the hospital.

In his statement about the daylong dispute that apparently led to the shooting, City Manager Black also pointed out that the nightclub has a history of gun violence, including a shooting inside on Jan. 1, 2015, and a parking-lot shooting in September 2015.

The owner of the club, Julian Rodgers, issued a statement on the shooting Sunday evening.

"On behalf of the Cameo Nightclub family and staff, I want to express how deeply saddened we are by this senseless shooting," Rodgers said. "Our goal is and has always been to provide a safe environment for our patrons."

Rodgers said the club would remain closed while authorities investigate and offered his condolences for the victims.

"We will do everything in our power to cooperate and make sure the monsters that did this are caught and brought to justice," the statement said.

At the Sunday news conference, Isaac said body cameras are not yet being used when police officers work off-duty.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms has been working with the local officials in the investigation, Cranley and Isaac said. Cranley also said that in a morning phone call, Gov. John Kasich had offered state resources to solve the crime.

One man inside the club described a "big brawl" before at least 20 shots were fired. "It was a big gun because you heard it over the music," said Mauricio Thompson, who said he's from Cleveland. "Everybody's running. Everybody scattered to get out of the club."

Cincinnati mayoral candidate Rob Richardson said on Twitter: "This shooting hits close to home. I have younger family members who have attended this Cameo on a regular basis.”

Republican Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio said in a statement: "While we are still learning the details surrounding this horrific tragedy, we thank our first responders for acting quickly and providing critical care for those at the scene. Jane and I extend our thoughts and prayers to the victims and their families. My office stands ready to help them and our law enforcement authorities in any way we can."

Enquirer reporters James Pilcher, Sharon Coolidge, Scott Wartman and Jason Williams contributed.

View video of the aftermath of the shooting here.

Ryan Bracy