Louisville became the latest US city rocked by gun violence this week when an employee gunned down five colleagues inside a bank before being shot dead by responding police officers.
Connor Sturgeon, a 25-year-old bank employee, entered the Old National Bank in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, and opened fire with an AR-15-style rifle.
Officers responded to the scene within minutes and exchanged gunfire with the gunman, who was ultimately shot dead.
Four victims died on the scene, before a fifth died in hospital later on Monday.
The victims, all executives at the bank, have been identified as: Tommy Elliott, 63, Jim Tutt, 64, Josh Barrick, 40, Juliana Farmer, 57, and Deana Eckert, 57.
Another eight victims were hospitalised including two police officers who were shot by the gunman after responding to the scene.
One of those officers – Louisville Metro Police Department Officer Nickolas Wilt – was shot in the head and is now fighting for his life in hospital.
Here’s what we know so far about the mass shooting:
The shooting
The shooting unfolded at around 8.30am on Monday morning, when Sturgeon entered the bank armed with an AR-15-style rifle.
Bank manager Rebecca Buchheit-Sims told CNN that the executives were gathered in a first-floor conference room in the building for their morning meeting. She had joined the meeting remotely on Microsoft Teams.
The meeting was in full flow when she says she saw Sturgeon burst into the room and open fire on the staff members.
“I witnessed people being murdered. I don’t know how else to say that,” she said.
“I’m just as much in shock and disbelief and was in disbelief as I watched it unravel.”
Sturgeon was livestreaming his shooting rampage online.
Police received reports of shots fired and a possible active shooter at around 8.30am.
Louisville police officers responded to the scene and exchanged gunfire with the shooter, killing Sturgeon by officer fire.
The suspect
Surgeon, a bank employee, was identified by law enforcement as the shooter on Monday afternoon.
According to a LinkedIn account in his name, Sturgeon had worked at the bank as a syndications associate and portfolio banker.
The motive for the attack remains unclear but the gunman is said to have left behind ominous warnings about his deadly plans for his family and friends to find.
Police dispatch audio, released by Broadcastify, captures the minute-by-minute police response to Monday’s horror attack
In the audio, the dispatcher is heard relaying to law enforcement officials on the scene that Sturgeon had called a friend before the attack and left a chilling voicemail saying he felt “suicidal” and planned to “kill everyone at the bank”.
Sturgeon had also written a note to his parents and a friend outlining his plans to open fire in the bank, a law enforcement source told CNN.
The source said that Sturgeon had worked at the bank for over a year but had been recently notified that he was going to be fired.
His family lives in Greenville, Indiana, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal.
He graduated from Floyd Central High School, where he played basketball and his father was the coach. He went on to attend the University of Alabama before moving to Louisville.
Several people have spoken out in shock that Sturgeon was behind the mass shooting.
Ms Buchheit-Sims said she didn’t personally work with him but knew of him because Sturgeon’s father coaches her son’s high school basketball team.
She said she had never seen any signs of violence or threats from the 25-year-old.
“His temperament is pretty low-key. I’ve never seen the kid get angry or upset about anything in public. He was pretty much just relaxed,” she said, describing him as “extremely intelligent” and with “just kind of a monotone personality”.
The victims
The five victims killed in Monday’s attack have been identified as Josh Barrick, 40; Tommy Elliott, 63; Jim Tutt, 64; Juliana Farmer, 57; and Deanna Eckert, 57.
The first four victims were pronounced dead on the scene while Eckert succumbed to her injuries in hospital.
All five executives at Old National Bank.
Elliott was senior vice president, Tutt was market executive, Barrick was senior vice president of commercial real estate, Farmer was commercial banking agent and Eckert was the executive administrative officer.
Two of the victims were friends with Governor Andy Beshear, who spoke at an 11am press conference. During an emotional address at nearby Slugger Field, he confirmed that one of his friends was killed, and another was in surgery.
“This is awful,” he said. “I have a very close friend who didn’t make it today.”
That friend was Elliott. Mr Beshear said Elliott helped him in his early career and provided him life advice throughout their friendship.
“He was one of the people I talked to most in the world, and very rarely were we talking about my job,” the governor said.
He revealed that he banked with Old National Bank and formerly had an office in the building during his campaign for the attorney general’s office.
Another eight victims were hospitalised including two police officers who were shot by the gunman after responding to the scene.
One of those officers – Louisville Metro Police Department Officer Nickolas Wilt – was shot in the head. The officer, who was sworn in just days earlier, is in critical but stable condition following surgery.
Three of the wounded have since been discharged from hospital.
Lawmakers react
President Joe Biden put out a statement about the shooting on Monday afternoon.
“Once again, our nation mourns after a senseless act of gun violence – Jill and I pray for the lives lost and impacted by today’s shooting,” he said.
“Too many Americans are paying for the price of inaction with their lives.
“When will Republicans in Congress act to protect our communities?”
Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell put out his own statement earlier in the day.
“Elaine and I are devastated by the news coming out of Louisville this morning. Thank you to LMPD and our first responders for your bravery at the scene,” he tweeted.
“We send our prayers to the victims, their families, and the city of Louisville as we await more information.”
Second shooting reported nearby
Shortly after the bank shooting, officers were called to the scene of a second shooting nearby.
At 11.20am, LMPD confirmed officers had been dispatched to 8th and Chestnut streets.
Police said that there is no active shooting situation and there is no indication the two incidents are related.
“There is NO active aggressor at JCTC at 8th Chestnut streets. We are confirming that there was a shooting outside, and the suspects fled prior to police arrival,” LMPD tweeted.
