Woman Shot 12 Times at Cincinnati Bank Thanks First Responders

A woman who was shot 12 times during a shooting at a Cincinnati bank this week has expressed her gratefulness to first responders for helping her survive the ordeal.

“I’m so thankful to the paramedics and first responders and the doctors, nurses, and staff at UC Medical,” said Whitney Austin, 37, who was still in the hospital, in stable condition, on Sept. 7.

Austin had driven to Cincinnati from Louisville, Kentucky, for a meeting and was on a conference call as she walked into Fifth Third Center on Sept. 6. She walked directly into the shooting and was hit with 12 bullets, according to a press release from Fifth Third obtained by WDRB.

Austin, a senior product manager for digital lending for Fifth Third, said two police officers rushed over and got her out of danger, saving her life.

“I’m still processing the events from yesterday, the impact to the victims, to me and the community. And I’m thinking about how I can make a difference in the future,” Austin, a married-mother-of-two, said. “Our family has been overwhelmed by the support we have received from co-workers, family, friends, and total strangers.”

Police investigate the scene after a shooting at the Fifth Third Bank building on Fountain Square in downtown Cincinnati, on Sept. 6, 2018. (Albert Cesare/The Cincinnati Enquirer via AP)

A woman is comforted by authorities stationed outside the University of Cincinnati Medical Center's Emergency room following a shooting in downtown Cincinnati that left at least four dead, including the gunman, and several injured on Sept. 6, 2018. (Kareem Elgazzar/The Cincinnati Enquirer via AP)

Victims Identified

While Austin survived, three people that were killed in the rampage were identified.

They were identified as Prudhvi Raj Kandepi, 25, Richard Newcomer, 64, and Luis Felipe Calderón, 48, according to the Hamilton County Coroner’s office.

Suspect Omar Santa Perez also died.

Newcomer was employed by Gilbane Building Co, a spokesman told the Cincinnati Enquirer. A superintendent, he was at the building overseeing construction work on the third floor of the building.

Luis Felipe Calderon, one of the victims in the Fifth Third shooting on Sept. 6, 2018 in Cincinnati. (Let's Help Ana Calderon/GoFundMe)

Calderon left behind a family, a wife and children, the co-workers of his wife wrote on GoFundMe.

“Let’s join efforts to help Ana Maria through these difficult times, when she has so many unforeseen expenses to cover,” they wrote.

Kandepi, an Indian native, went to the same Hindu temple as Lakshmi Sammarco, the county coroner.

“How do you tell parents who live 10,000 miles away that they will never see their son again because of a senseless shooting in a foreign country?” she wrote.

From NTD.tv