Topline
At least five people were killed Monday in a mass shooting at a bank in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, and the suspected shooter is also dead, police said—marking the 146th U.S. mass shooting this year.
A block in downtown Louisville was cordoned off for police response to an active shooter Monday … [+]
Key Facts
Louisville Metro Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel identified the shooter as Connor Sturgeon, a 25-year-old employee of Old National Bank, the five-story downtown bank where five people were killed.
Police initially named four deceased victims who died at the scene of the shooting, all of whom were bank employees: Joshua Barrick, 40, Thomas Elliot, 63, Juliana Farmer, 45, and James Tutt, 64.
By Monday evening, the Louisville Metro Police Department tweeted a fifth victim had also died: 57-year-old Deana Eckert.
Sturgeon, who died at the scene after police intervened, had worked at Old National since 2018, first as an intern and most recently as a syndications banker and portfolio banker, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Sturgeon live-streamed the shooting on his Instagram page, which has since been deactivated, Gwinn-Villaroel said.
Police exchanged gunfire with the shooter and “stopped the threat,” the police chief said in a press conference, but the exact circumstances of Sturgeon’s death and his motive for the shooting are unclear.
Police said Monday afternoon nine people were injured: Three were released from the hospital, three were treated with non-life-threatening injuries and three were in critical condition.
One of the victims in critical condition is Officer Nikolas Wilt, a 26-year-old who graduated from the police academy at the end of March—he underwent brain surgery after being shot in the head and remains in critical but stable condition, Gwinn-Villaroel said.
Surprising Fact
Less than half an hour after police reported the casualties of the mass shooting on Twitter, a second, unrelated shooting was reported roughly a mile west at a Jefferson Community & Technical College building. The second shooting killed one man and injured a woman, and police believe multiple suspects, all of whom fled the scene, could be involved, according to local reporting.
Tangent
President Biden responded to the Louisville bank shooting in a tweet Monday afternoon calling on Republicans to “act to protect our communities.”
Crucial Quote
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) asked for prayers at a press conference on Monday morning, adding that he knew several people at the bank and had lost a close friend. “To everybody who needs it, don’t be afraid to get some help. Our bodies and our minds are not meant to go through these types of tragedies,” he said.
Surprising Fact
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said Monday afternoon the victim Thomas Elliott was a close friend of his and Beshear’s. Beshear said Elliot was one of his “closest friends” whom he spoke to on a daily basis. At Monday morning’s press conference, the governor’s voice wavered as he referred to Old National as “my bank” and assured viewers that Louisville is still a safe community. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee revealed similar news following a school shooting in Nashville two weeks ago, saying in a message on Twitter that two family friends had been killed at the shooting. The Republican governor added that, despite the pain of losing two friends, it was “not a time for hate or rage.”
Key Background
The Louisville incident comes exactly two weeks after six people were killed at a school in Nashville, Tennessee, and marks the 146th mass shooting in the U.S. this year, according to Gun Violence Archive, which includes events that kill or injure four or more people. The effects from Nashville’s incident are continuing to reverberate, as two Tennessee Democratic lawmakers were expelled last week after they participated in a pro-gun-control protest at the state Capitol. The Nashville Metro Council is scheduled to meet Monday afternoon to discuss filling the empty seat left by Rep. Justin Jones, who is expected to return to the Tennessee House as an interim representative, according to the Tennesseean. The Memphis board of commissioners is expected to vote Wednesday on whether to reinstate Rep. Justin Pearson. Both representatives have said they would return and run in special elections to permanently regain their seats.
Further Reading
Over 100 Mass Shootings Have Hit U.S. So Far This Year—In Worst Start To Year In Decade (Forbes)
This is a developing news story. Please check back for updates.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/katherinehamilton/2023/04/10/louisville-shooting-5-killed-in-kentucky-bank-shooting/