As a high school junior, Megan Betts was asked to weigh in on one of the pressing matters of the day. What makes a good homecoming dance?
"Good DJ and music," she responded, a reflection of her fun-loving spirit. During her high school years, friends recall, she was an engaged student, active in theater, band and choir. She who was there to cheer on friends when they took the stage, too.
In photos friends have shared, whether she is wearing elegant ballgowns, her sharp marching band uniform or even a paper crown, she is smiling widely and surrounded by people who loved her.
People who can’t believe she’s gone.
Betts, 22, was one of nine victims shot to death over the weekend in the Oregon District. Her brother Connor Betts, 24, was the gunman. Authorities aren't sure if she was an intended or incidental target.
"That's a question I've asked more than once and I don't think we can know that for certainty," Dayton Police Department Chief Richard Biehl said during a news conference. "It seems to just defy believability that he would shoot his own sister. But It's also hard to believe he didn't recognize that was his sister. We just don't know."
Demoy Howell was a year behind Connor Betts and interacted with him a good bit as both were members of the Junior ROTC at Bellbrook High School. Later, they worked at the same fast-food restaurant.
“He was just an oddball in general,” Howell recalled. The Betts siblings’ personalities differed greatly, he said.
“Nobody liked him,” Howell said.
Megan Betts had been a student at Wright State University studying environmental science. The school held a Monday vigil to mourn her loss and has announced counseling will be available to students.
"Hold your friends and family a little closer tonight," Wright State Student Government Association president Ivan Mallett, who spoke at the vigil, posted after the weekend shooting.
Megan Betts’ longtime friends are holding her memory close to their hearts, sharing messages of sorrow and support.
One post shows a collection of photos showing Megan proudly holding her trumpet, dressed up for formal events and posing with friends at Medieval Times, paper crown perched jauntily on her head.
Megan’s life, the post said, was a blessing.
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