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WASHINGTON, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Nine people were killed with 26 others injured early Sunday morning in a mass shooting near a bar in Dayton, a city in midwest U.S. state of Ohio, the authorities said.

The gunman, who has not been identified, was carrying a .223-caliber rifle with additional high-capacity magazines and was wearing a mask or covering over his face, Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley said at a press conference Sunday morning.

The gunman was shot dead at the scene by police.

"If the Dayton police had not gotten to the shooter in under a minute, hundreds of people in the Oregon District would be dead today," Whaley said.

Police believe there was only one shooter, Lt. Col. Matt Carper said.

The attack occurred at 1:00 a.m. (0600 GMT) in Oregon District, a popular nightlife area and usually safe section of the city, when police officers were on regular patrol in the neighborhood.

This was the second mass shooting in the United States within 24 hours.

It came hours after an attack at the border city of El Paso in the state of Texas left 20 people dead and 26 wounded. A 21-year-old white male has been arrested.