According to authorities, a shooting occurred in downtown Louisville on Monday morning, resulting in the death of five people and injuries to eight others. The incident took place at the Old National Bank Building, close to Louisville Slugger Field, causing disruption to the usual morning rush hour. Emergency calls were received around 8:30 a.m. and police arrived on the scene within three minutes of being dispatched.
According to the Interim Chief of the Louisville Metro Police Department, Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel, responding officers engaged in a shootout with 25-year-old suspect Connor Sturgeon, who was killed by the police. Sturgeon was an employee of the bank and used a rifle to carry out the attack, which was livestreamed online. Gwinn-Villaroel stated that she did not know how Sturgeon obtained the weapon. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear expressed his own and many others’ pain and distress over the incident.
The victims and the suspect were bank employees
Louisville officials have named the four individuals who lost their lives in the shooting incident on Monday. The victims have been identified as Joshua Barrick (40 years old), Thomas Elliott (63 years old), James Tutt (64 years old) and Juliana Farmer (with varying ages and spelling).
According to a LinkedIn page with the same name, Elliott held the position of senior vice president at Old National Bank. Beshear stated that they were good friends and that Elliott had been instrumental in his legal career, helped him to become governor, and provided him with guidance on being a good father, which left Beshear emotional during his interview with reporters.Police reported on Monday evening that Deanna Eckert, who was an executive administrative officer at the bank, had also passed away. This information was obtained from a LinkedIn profile with the same name as the deceased.
The University of Louisville Hospital received nine injured individuals, including three police officers. Three persons have been discharged, three are hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, and three are in critical condition as of Monday afternoon. Among the patients, five were treated for gunshot wounds.
Gwinn-Villaroel stated that Officer Nickolas Wilt, who recently completed his police academy training on March 31, was one of the victims injured in the assault. Wilt sustained a gunshot wound to his head and had to undergo surgery on his brain.
Officer Nickolas Wilt, a new officer to the LMPD, ran towards the gunfire today to save lives. He remains in critical condition after being shot in the head. pic.twitter.com/yPNZBfAl7I
— LMPD (@LMPD) April 10, 2023
“I have visited the area with my family to offer love and support, and today I have been with all the affected families to show our support. LMPD will provide anything else they need,” she stated.The incident took place at the Old National Bank Building which has multiple floors, a bank on the ground floor, and commercial and residential spaces above.
As per the authorities, all the victims were either bank employees or police officers.
Officials expressed grief over the deadly attack
The announcement of the shooting elicited expressions of condolence and sorrow from both the local Louisville society and beyond, as well as appeals for modifications to the gun laws in the country. Mayor Craig Greenberg referred to the shooting as a “terrible tragedy” and a “wicked demonstration of gun violence.”Mitch McConnell, a Republican Leader in the Senate from Kentucky, stated that he and his partner Elaine were “shattered” upon hearing about the incident and praying for those affected.
President Biden issued a statement expressing sorrow over yet another senseless act of gun violence in the country. He and first lady Jill Biden offered their prayers for the victims and gratitude to the responding officers. The president urged Congress to enact stricter gun safety legislation and questioned how many more lives need to be lost before the Republicans in Congress will take action to safeguard our communities.
A new Kentucky law has been implemented which prohibits state and local law enforcement from providing assistance in any federal bans on guns, ammunition or firearms accessories. This legislation was approved by Kentucky’s Republican-majority legislature and became law after the state’s Democrat Governor, Beshear, did not sign or veto it. As of now, there have been 146 mass shootings in the United States this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
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