Photo: Courtesy of family; Donna Johnson
In the early morning hours on Sunday, the Oregon District in downtown Dayton, Ohio, was bustling with life as usual: The historic neighborhood is lined with bars and nightclubs, and has a reputation for being very safe.
Adding to the horror was that the shooting occurred less than 24 hours after a gunman opened fire inside a Walmart in El Paso, Texas,killing 20 peopleand wounding 26.
While mourning the loss of life, Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley praised the quick police response, saying that “hundreds of people in the Oregon District could be dead today” had authorities not acted fast.
Below is a list of thevictims of the Dayton attack. This post will be updated as more information becomes available.
Logan Turner, 30
Logan Turner.
On Sunday, the Turners planned to celebrate Logan’s 30th birthday — his grandmother had baked his favorite German Chocolate cake for the occasion.
A former high school varsity football player, Turner loved fixing cars and worked as a machinist, his family members said. On the night he died, he was out with a friend he has known since Kindergarten, who got shot in the arm.
His aunt, Susan Scherbauer, described him as a “wonderful, caring person,” and said through tears that the cake his grandmother baked is still on the counter “waiting for him.”
“He had a good job. He had his own home. He had just met a girl he was so happy about. You could just see it on his face.”
Thomas McNichols, 25
Thomas McNichols.Donna Johnson
McNichols was a beloved father of four who was known as a “gentle giant” and a “loving young man,” his aunt Donna Johnson tells PEOPLE.
McNichols, who worked in a factory, loved playing Fortnight with his nephews and son and enjoyed Marvel movies.
“Whenever a Marvel movie came out, he’d take his kids and nephews to the movies. Just a loving father and a loving family man,” Johnson says.
McNichols attended Resurrection Baptist Church in Dayton and had begun to get his GED.
Nicholas Cumer, 25
Cumer was a graduate student at Saint Francis University in Pennsylvania in the Master of Cancer Care program, according toa press release from the school.
He was in Dayton as part of his internship program with the Maple Tree Cancer Alliance. Last week, Maple Tree offered him a full-time position to run one of their new offices,according to Maple Tree’s Facebook page.
The Saint Francis release says Cumer “was dedicated to caring for others. He was recognized at the 2019 Community Engagement Awards among students who had completed 100+ hours of service. In addition he was a graduate assistant with the university marching band.”
Her friend Derasha Merrett told theDayton Daily Newsthat she received a horrific phone call at 3 a.m. from a mutual friend telling her Lois was dead.
“We grew up in the same church, on the same drill team. She works at my kids’ daycare,” Merrett said. “We all grew up in this little town. We’re all family.”
Megan Betts, 22
Megan.Facebook
Betts was a student at Wright State University studying earth and environmental sciences, according toher student profile.
Accordingto her LinkedIn page, she had spent time recently as a tour guide at the Missoula Smokejumper Visitor Center in Montana, which is dedicated to forest preservation and fire prevention.
“We really enjoyed the time that she spent working here for us. She was full of life and really passionate,” Cottrell said. “She was a very caring individual.”
Derrick Fudge, 57
Fudge’s son, 37-year-old Dion Green, tells PEOPLE, “He was a great father,” and adds, “Everybody who knows him, they can’t say nothing bad about him.”
His younger sister Twyla Southall tells PEOPLE Fudge loved fishing and cooking, and was planning to paint his granddaughter’s bedroom for her 11th birthday.
Every chance he could, says Southall, he spent time with his son.
He died in his son’s arms.
Monica Brickhouse, 39
Brickhouse lived in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and traveled with friend Beatrice Warren-Curtis to Ohio. Warren-Curtis was also killed in the attack.
She ran a design, event planning and catering company called Two Good Girls,according to her Facebook page. According to her Linkedin account, she was also a Recovery Specialist with Anthem in Norfolk, Virginia.
TheDayton Daily Newsreports that Brittany Hart, a friend of Brickhouse’s, wrote on Facebook, “This just can’t be real,” and described Brickhouse as “like another aunt to me.”
“To lose a loved one to senseless violence is just unfair, especially since it could be preventable!!” Hart wrote. “I am so sorry this has happened to you all!”
Beatrice “Nicole” Warren-Curtis, 36
After the shootings, friends of Warren-Curtis posted about her untimely death on Facebook. One friend and colleague namedTonya Amos wrote, “I was devastated this morning when I got the news and still don’t feel like I have a heartbeat inside of me. Nicole Curtis and Monica Storey Brickhouse were like two of my work daughters.”
“I had the opportunity to manage and mentor them for some years,” Amos continued. “We sat beside each other everyday. We have laughed and cried together. Shared life stories and supported each other. These two ladies were very special to me. I’m sad and mad and [sic] this senseless loss.”
Saeed Saleh, 38
Saleh was a recent refugee from Eritrea known as a hard worker devoted to his wife and kids, says Elenne Abraham, who attends the same church as Saleh’s family.
“I think the only time I ever heard about him taking time off was the day he died. He was outside the club, getting some air and he was killed,” Abraham says.
Saleh was a native of Eritrea in Africa, according totheDayton Daily News.
Khamis, who is serving as a spokesperson for Saleh’s family, also told theDayton Daily News, “We are here as a family, no matter who we are, as the city of Dayton is a welcoming city.”
source: people.com
