Raucous shouts demanding action from lawmakers on gun control interrupted a speech by Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine during a vigil in Dayton, Ohio, for victims of the shooting that took place early Sunday morning.
Chant of “Do Something!” breaks out as OH Gov Mike DeWine speaks at a vigil in #Dayton. @NBCNews @NBCNightlyNews pic.twitter.com/deeditNyQC
— Kate Snow (@tvkatesnow) August 5, 2019
.@GovMikeDeWine is trying to address the vigil crowd in Dayton. The crowd is shouting over him “Do something!!!” @WCPO pic.twitter.com/VoQiOoFfoD
— Dr. Hillary Lake, WCPO (@hillarylake) August 5, 2019
At Dayton vigil, @MikeDeWine is drowned out by chants of “Do something!” Mayor @nanwhaley tells crowd the vigil is a night of love pic.twitter.com/ihEYf7Zgj2
— Cara Korte (@CaraKorte) August 5, 2019
The crowd assembled on Fifth Street in downtown Dayton in the Oregon District to commemorate the nine killed and 27 wounded by Connor Betts, 24, who was killed by police within a minute of opening fire at a popular restaurant and bar area.
DeWine has said that “everything is on the table” regarding potential changes to gun policy in the wake of the Dayton massacre, including expanded background checks.
“We’re open to discussion,” he said to the press at the Ohio State Fair on Sunday afternoon. “This is a debate that certainly should take place.”
DeWine claimed that the executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Ohio told him that only 7% of the mentally ill exhibit violent tendencies, but that some such cases are “ticking time [bombs] waiting to go off.” He joined both President Trump and Republican Ohio Sen. Rob Porter in stressing the importance of mental health.
“If you look at the mental health crisis in our country today, there aren’t enough laws, and in fact no law can correct some of the more fundamental cultural problems we face today as a country,” Porter asserted.
