Gunman in Cincinnati bank shooting identified
Xinhua
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WASHINGTON, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- The gunman who killed three people and wounded two others at a bank in downtown Cincinnati Thursday morning was identified as a 29-year-old Ohio state resident.

Civilians are escorted from the Fifth Third Center as emergency personnel and police work the scene of shooting near Fountain Square, Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018, in downtown Cincinnati. [Photo: AP/John Minchillo]

Civilians are escorted from the Fifth Third Center as emergency personnel and police work the scene of shooting near Fountain Square, Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018, in downtown Cincinnati. (Photo: AP/John Minchillo)

Omar Perez, 29, acted alone when he opened fire at the headquarters of Fifth Third Bank inside a 30-story building near the Fountain Square in downtown Cincinnati, the city's Police Chief Eliot Isaac told reporters Thursday afternoon.

Isaac said officers responded to a 911 call around 9:10 a.m. local time (0110 GMT Friday) about an "active shooter" at the bank.

Perez, who resides in the town of North Bend, is not a former or current employee of the bank, according to the police chief.

Police said the gunman opened fire at the loading dock of the building and then entered the bank's lobby where he exchanged gunfire with police.

Five people were shot, including three who died from their injuries, Isaac said. One person died at the scene, and two victims died at the hospital, police said.

A spokeswoman for a local medical facility said one victim remained in critical condition and another was listed as serious.

Multiple officers then "engaged" the suspect, who was shot multiple times and is now dead, said Isaac.

No officers were injured in the incident, and a weapon was recovered from the scene.

Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley said in a statement posted on Twitter that "Random mass shootings, which plague our nation, are not normal and we as a country can't allow them to be normalized."

The motive for the shooting was not yet known.

Fifth Third Bank issued a statement Thursday afternoon offering thoughts and prayers for the victims. The bank operates some 1,200 banking centers in 10 US states.