Louisville, Kentucky officials brief media after shooting at downtown bank
Louisville police, mayor and Kentucky governor speak to the media after a gunman opened fire in the building that houses Old National Bank. (WHAS)
Authorities in Louisville, Kentucky identified the suspect deceased gunman accused of killing five people inside a building that houses an Old National Bank location as Connor Sturgeon, a former employee.
The shooting happened around 8:30 a.m. and officers that responded within minutes encountered the suspect, who was still firing shots, according to Louisville Metro Police Department Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel.
Sturgeon, 25, who live-streamed the deadly event, was armed with a rifle and killed by police, she said. Authorities initially said Sturgeon was 23-years-old before disclosing his correct age.
"This shouldn’t continue to happen," said Gwinn-Villaroel. "Evil cannot take over our city."
Connor Sturgeon was killed by responding officers after he opened fire on a bank in Louisville on Monday. (Connor Sturgeon/LinkedIn)
The victims killed Monday were identified as Tommy Elliott, 63; Joshua Barrick, 40; Deana Eckert, 57; Jim Tutt, 64 and 45-year-old Juliana Farmer. Elliott was a dear friend to Gov. Andy Beshear.
Eckert was later identified as a deceased victim Monday evening.
Police respond to an "active aggressor" situation in Louisville, Kentucky on Monday, April 10. (WDRB)
"He helped me build my law career," Beshear said during an afternoon news briefing. "Help me become governor. Gave me advice on being a good dad."
The University of Louisville Hospital told Fox News that it received nine patients following the shooting, three of which have since been discharged.
The officer injured was identified as Nickolas Wilt, who underwent brain surgery after he was shot in the head. He graduated from the police academy on March 31, the chief said.
"The next few days ... are critical for his recovery," Gwinn-Villaroel said.
President Biden said following the shooting that "Once again, our nation is in mourning after a senseless act of gun violence.
Louisville police Officer Nickolas Wilt was shot by a gunman during a mass shooting gat a bank Monday. He graduated from the police academy on March 31, officials said. (LMPD)
"Jill and I are praying for those killed and injured in the tragic shooting in Louisville, and for the survivors who will carry grief and trauma for the rest of their lives. We are grateful to the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department officers who quickly and courageously stepped into the line of fire to save others," Biden said.
"How many more Americans must die before Republicans in Congress will act to protect our communities?" he added. "It’s long past time that we require safe storage of firearms. Require background checks for all gun sales. Eliminate gun manufacturers’ immunity from liability. We can and must do these things now."
Attorney General Merrick Garland also has been briefed about the shooting, Justice Department officials said.
Police deploy at the scene of a mass shooting near Slugger Field baseball stadium in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, on April, 10, 2023. ( Michael Clevenger/USA Today Network via REUTERS)
Authorities described the shooting as a "tragic event," but said "it was the heroic response of officers that made sure that no more people were more seriously injured than what happened."
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"I want people to know that while today it's a horrific act, I do believe that this is a safe community with officers doing their very best each and every day. And that's what we saw here," Beshear continued. "Yes, I know that there are steps that the police department is taking to do things better after a recent report. But we certainly saw, I think, the very best from them today. And I want to thank them and all our other law enforcement officers for responding and doing their best to try to save some of my friends and many others."
A Louisville Metro Police crime scene technician photographs bullet holes in the glass of the Old National Bank building in Louisville on Monday, April 10. (AP/Timothy D. Easley)
Images taken in the area showed a police officer with his weapon drawn. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) also were photographed at the scene.
The FBI's Louisville office tweeted that its "special agents have responded to the scene of this morning's shooting in downtown Louisville and are assisting our law enforcement partners."
Old National Bank said in a tweet that "In response to the tragic shooting this morning at our Preston Pointe location in downtown Louisville, members of the Old National Bank executive team, including CEO Jim Ryan, are en route to Louisville.
The area where a shooting took place in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, on April 10. (Leandro Lozada/AFP via Getty Images)
"The safety of ONB employees and everyone we serve in our banking center locations is paramount," Ryan said in a statement. "As we await more details, we are deploying employee assistance support and keeping everyone affected by this tragedy in our thoughts and prayers."
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A witness inside the building where the shooting happened told WHAS11 that an unidentified man with a "long assault rifle" began opening fire on the first floor.
"He just started firing," the witness reportedly said. "I didn't see his face. We were in the conference room. Whoever was next to me got shot, their blood's on me."
The police response to the scene of the shooting in Louisville, Kentucky. (Michael Clevenger / The Courier Journal)
Another witness told WHAS11 that the suspect and law enforcement got into a "shootout."
One witness told WDRB she was driving in the area where the shooting happened this morning and heard several gunshots and the sound of glass breaking.
"As I was sitting at that intersection, gunfire erupted, like, right over my head," she said. "When I turned, I saw that one of the windows in the bank had been blown out."
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She then noted the quick response from law enforcement.
"They were coming from everywhere," the witness told WDRB. "The police were coming out of their cars with black rifles. I just ducked in my car and waited there."
Fox News' David Spunt, Jake Gibson, Mitch Picasso, Ashley Papa and Haley Chi-Sing contributed to this report.
