A gunman killed five people and wounded at least eight others during a Monday morning shooting in downtown Louisville, Ky., authorities said.
The din of the morning rush hour was shattered by the sound of gunfire from the Old National Bank Building, just across the street from Louisville Slugger Field.
Emergency calls first came in around 8:30 a.m., and police responded within three minutes of being dispatched.
Responding officers exchanged gunfire with the suspect, 25-year-old Connor Sturgeon, who was shot and killed by police, according to Louisville Metro Police Department Interim Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel.
Sturgeon was an employee of the bank and used a rifle to carry out the attack, she added. Gwinn-Villaroel said she did not yet know how the gunman obtained the weapon. She said the attack was livestreamed online.
"Today, I'm hurt," Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said, "and I'm hurting. And I know so many people out there are as well."
The victims and the suspect were bank employees
Louisville authorities identified four victims killed in the shooting on Monday afternoon as 40-year-old Joshua Barrick, 63-year-old Thomas Elliott, 64-year-old James Tutt and Juliana Farmer. (Authorities gave differing ages for Farmer and a differing spelling for Elliott.)
Elliott was a senior vice president at Old National Bank, according to a LinkedIn page of the same name, and Beshear said they were close friends.
"Tommy Elliott helped me build my law career, helped me become governor, gave me advice on being a good dad," an emotional Beshear told reporters.
On Monday evening, police said 57-year-old Deanna Eckert had also died. Eckert was an executive administrative officer at the bank, according to a LinkedIn profile of the same name.
The University of Louisville Hospital said nine victims were rushed in with injuries, including three police officers, the hospital said.
Three people were treated and released, another three were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries and another three were in critical condition on Monday afternoon. Five of the patients were treated for gunshot wounds.
Officer Nickolas Wilt, who had just graduated from the police academy on March 31, was among those wounded in the attack. Wilt was shot in the head and underwent brain surgery, Gwinn-Villaroel said.
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've been down there with the family and given my love and support, been with all of the families today to show our love and support for them, and anything else they need from LMPD we will provide that," she added.
The shooting occurred at the Old National Bank Building, a multistory building with a bank on the first floor and commercial space and residences higher up.
Authorities said all the victims were either bank employees or police officers.
Officials expressed grief over the deadly attack
News of the shooting drew messages of support and grief from within the Louisville community and beyond, as well as calls for changes to the country's gun laws.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg called the shooting a "horrific tragedy" and an "evil act of gun violence."
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky, said he and his wife Elaine were "devastated" by news of the attack and praying for the victims.
President Biden said in a statement that the nation was again "in mourning after a senseless act of gun violence," and that he and first lady Jill Biden were praying for the victims and grateful to the responding officers.
Biden also called on Congress to pass stricter gun safety laws. "How many more Americans must die before Republicans in Congress will act to protect our communities?" he said.
Late last month, a new Kentucky law took effect that bars state and local law enforcement from assisting in any federal bans on guns, ammunition or firearms accessories.
Kentucky's Republican-majority legislature approved the legislation, and it became law after Beshear, a Democrat, neither signed nor vetoed it.
There have been 146 mass shootings in the U.S. so far this year, according to data compiled by the Gun Violence Archive.
