Several new details emerged about the horrific massacre that took place on Monday morning in an office bank in Louisville, Kentucky, where a gunman carried out a livestreamed attack, resulting in the deaths of five colleagues.
The person identified as the suspect, 23-year-old Connor Sturgeon, used a legally purchased AR-15 on April 4th to harm and potentially kill others. Before the attack, he had expressed suicidal intentions and had informed at least one person. Chief of Police Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel of Louisville identified Sturgeon as the suspect, who was also an employee at the National Old Bank.
Attorney family added that “I love you,” expressing shock at the act of sending a text to his family before the massacre. The family, who actively addressed mental health challenges, stated that there were no indications or warning signs that he was capable of such a shocking act, according to Sturgeon’s family speaking to WDRB News.
According to an unidentified city official, the assault lasted for approximately one minute. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, verified that they promptly took down the video stream after it was uploaded. Gwinn-Villaroel stated that Sturgeon continued to livestream during the attack, resulting in three injured police officers and nine other individuals harmed.
According to reports, the woman was allegedly instructed by the assailant to leave the premises before he made an attempt to shoot her from behind. It is said that upon entering the bank, the shooter was welcomed by an employee who exchanged pleasantries, wishing him a good morning. The livestream footage, as per the source, clearly showed the weapon being prominently displayed at the outset.
If she had not survived, the woman in the back said that the gunman then shot her. The official said that the attempt failed because the rifle was not loaded and the safety was on, so the weapon was unloaded.
The assault commenced at approximately 8:38 a.M., Prior to the bank being accessible to the general public, as per the authorized individual, who further mentioned that the assailant refrained from accessing any levels where additional staff members were located. Subsequently, the perpetrator proceeded to discharge their weapon at individuals within the bank as they endeavored to lower themselves to the ground.
The gunman, who arrived about 90 seconds later, sat in the lobby and waited for the cops. Around one minute after the carnage, the officials arrived. The Police released a surveillance image on Tuesday, showing Sturgeon standing among broken glass, holding a rifle in his hand, as he arrived at the Old National Bank office.
Then he took him down, and the shooter was the figure where he could manage to take cover until he was initially knocked off his feet by shots. Cory Galloway, his training field officer, managed to take cover and initially knocked him off his feet. Officer Nickolas Wilt, a rookie on his fourth shift, arrived on the scene and struck his head. The police also released body-cam footage showing Sturgeon firing shots on the two cops from behind the reflective glass of the office.
On Tuesday, Galloway experienced a scrape from a bullet, and Wilt, 26, courageously ran towards the peril, stated Gwinn-Villaroel, and he stayed in a critical but stable state.
Greenberg expressed, “Consequently, Sturgeon retained entry to the establishment and continued to be employed by the bank.” He asserted that media accounts suggesting that Sturgeon had been terminated or was on the verge of termination were inaccurate. Mayor Craig Greenberg of Louisville issued this statement on Tuesday.
Gwinn-Villaroel expressed, “This was specifically aimed at.” “It is truly unfortunate that he knew those individuals who carried out that evil act and caused harm to many others, resulting in loss of lives,” he mentioned yesterday.
Speaking at Tuesday’s press conference, Rep. Morgan McGarvey called on lawmakers to make it harder for people to purchase guns, instead of focusing on banning “books” and “pronouns” that Republicans have recently criticized, as common occurrences of mass shootings have increasingly ravaged communities.
McGarvey said, “If you are a person of faith, we welcome your prayers.” “However, we need policies in place to prevent this from happening again.” “In order to stop this, we need bipartisan action.”
In 2018, while studying at the University of Alabama, Sturgeon wrote an essay in which he discussed his struggles with making friends and self-esteem. According to his friend, who said that Sturgeon wore a helmet during basketball games to prevent multiple concussions, Sturgeon suffered from these issues. Additionally, a former teammate and friend from Floyd Central High School in Knob Floyds, Indiana, described Sturgeon as popular and intelligent during their school days.
The Police have confirmed that Tommy Elliott, 63, Jim Tutt, 64, Josh Barrick, 40, Juliana Farmer, 57, and Deana Eckert, 57, are the individuals who lost their lives in the assault.
The hospital’s typical capability “surpasses” a quantity of 170 units of blood that Dr. Jason Smith from UofL Health stated the hospital used up to care for patients.