Gunshots and chaos erupted in the heart of Cincinnati's downtown Thursday morning when a man opened fire in the lobby of Fifth Third Center, killing three people and wounding two others.

Dozens of police officers rushed to the scene and exchanged gunfire with the suspect as a crowd of people who had been on their way to work scattered across Fountain Square to safety.

Killed were Pruthvi Raj Kandepi, 25, Richard Newcomer, 64, and Luis Felipe Calderón, 48, Hamilton County Coroner Lakshmi Sammarco, said. There was not much information provided by authorities regarding the victims.

Police said the gunman, Omar Santa Perez, 29, was shot and killed by police officers after a brief gun battle.

The four fatalities, including Perez, make this one of the deadliest mass shootings in Greater Cincinnati in years.

"It's hard for it all to sink in, but it really did happen," Mayor John Cranley said. "This is clearly an act of grotesque violence to innocent people, and it should frighten all of us."

When the shots first rang out just before 9:11 a.m., people ran or scrambled to take cover. Many were getting their morning coffee or a doughnut before work when they heard gunshots and screams.

"There was definitely a lot of blood," said Zach Fritzhand, who saw police taking victims out of the building.

Michael Richardson was smoking in front of the building when he saw Santa Perez open fire in the lobby. He said police officers rushed in moments later. 

"A bunch of cops were coming in with guns," he said. "I saw a lady down. A Cincinnati police officer dragged her out of the bank. She was talking. She was bleeding. Her shirt was red."

Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters said the suspect used a 9 mm handgun, and Police Chief Eliot Isaac said the gunman was carrying hundreds of rounds of ammunition.

"He could've killed over 100 people," Deters said.

Cranley praised the quick response from police and said he regretted Cincinnati had joined the growing list of American cities that have experienced mass shootings in the past year.

"There's something deeply sick at work here and we as a country need to work on it," Cranley said.

Police provided little information about Santa Perez, though bank officials said Perez was not a current or former Fifth Third employee.

According to records available online, Perez was a North Bend resident who previously lived in South Carolina and Florida and may have been a college student in the Cincinnati area.

Isaac said investigators have not established a motive, but they are confident Perez acted alone. He said Perez has lived in the Cincinnati area since at least 2015.

"This is a horrific incident," Isaac said. "We are still processing the evidence and looking for any opportunity to get any greater insight into the motive."

The evidence includes footage from body police cameras and security cameras from around Fountain Square and Fifth Third Center. Police confirmed officers and Hamilton County sheriff's deputies have searched the suspect's residence in North Bend on Miami Avenue.

Officers could be seen removing items from the residence Thursday afternoon.

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