Five die in bank shooting before gunman is killed in exchange of fire with police
Five people have been killed and seven injured – including two police officers – after a man opened fire at a bank in Louisville in Kentucky.
Police named the gunman as 25-year-old Connor Sturgeon, who worked at the bank.
Four of the victims, Tommy Elliott, 63, Juliana Farmer, 57, Jim Tutt, 64, and Josh Barrick, 40 died at the scene.
The fifth victim, 57-year-old Deanna Eckert was among eight people taken to hospital, where she later died.
Sturgeon was killed in an exchange of fire at the bank with police, in which two officers were injured.
Officers said Sturgeon, who did not have “any prior engagement” with the police, joined the branch of the Old National Bank on East Main Street as a full-time employee last year.
Sturgeon live-streamed parts of the shooting on social media site Instagram, police said. Meta, the company that owns Instagram and Facebook, said it “quickly removed” the video from its platform.
Department Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel told a news conference Sturgeon, who was using a rifle, shot at officers who then returned fire.
“The suspect shot at officers. We then returned fire and stopped that threat.”
One officer who was caught in the fire, Nickolas Wilt, 26, was shot in the head and underwent surgery, the police chief said.
The officer, who had recently graduated from the police academy, was in critical condition, she added.
“I just swore him in and his family was there to witness his journey to become a police officer,” Gwinn-Villaroel said.
At least one other victim is said to be in a critical condition, according to police, while three people have since been discharged from hospital.
‘An evil act of targeted violence’
Louisville mayor Craig Greenberg condemned the attack, telling reporters at a press conference: “Let’s be clear about what this was. This was an evil act of targeted violence.”
He also thanked the emergency response in the city, adding “without a doubt, their actions saved lives”.
“We will come together as a community to work to prevent these horrific acts of gun violence from continuing here and around the state,” he said.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said that he knew some of the victims, including Elliot, a senior vice president at the bank, which is not far from the minor league ballpark Louisville Slugger Field and Waterfront Park.
“This is awful,” he said, on the verge of tears as he spoke.
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“I have a very close friend who didn’t make it today. And I have another close friend who didn’t, either. And one who’s at the hospital that I hope is going to make it through.”
“These are irreplaceable, amazing individuals that a terrible act of violence tore from all of us,” the governor said of the victims.
‘An incredible friend’
Speaking about Elliott, he said: “(He) helped me build my law career, helped me become governor, gave my advice on being a good dad.
“He’s one of the people I talked to most in the word and very rarely were we talking about my job. He was an incredible friend.”
US President Joe Biden also condemned the shooting on Monday, describing that “once again” the country mourned a “senseless act of gun violence”.
“Jill and I pray for the lives lost and impacted by today’s shooting,” he said, as he also called on Republicans in Congress to act on gun reform.
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