Louisville bank shooter Connor Sturgeon is being tested for the degenerative brain disease CTE following the deadly rampage Monday, his father said.
Todd Sturgeon gave the update to the local TV station WLKY, which reported the news Thursday.
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is known to occur in people with a “history of repetitive brain trauma,” including athletes, according to the Boston University CTE Center.
Connor Sturgeon had a history of concussions and wore a helmet when he played basketball at Floyd Central High School, according to WLKY. His father was the coach of the team.
Authorities say the gunman was a current employee at the Old National Bank, where he opened fire with an AR-15 early Monday, killing five people and wounding multiple others. Sturgeon, whom investigators say legally purchased the weapon last week, was killed in a shootout with police, officials said.
His family said in a statement that Sturgeon “had mental health challenges.”
In 911 audio released Wednesday, a woman who identified herself as the gunman’s mother told the dispatcher that her son might have a gun and be heading toward the bank.
“I need your help,” she said. “He’s never hurt anyone. He’s a really good kid.”
Body-camera footage released Tuesday shows gunshots ringing out moments after officers arrived at the bank. Police say the gunman shot at them multiple times before they returned fire.
One officer, 26-year-old Nickolas Wilt, was shot in the head and required brain surgery, according to his department. Officials say the wound left Wilt, who graduated from the police academy on March 31, in critical condition.
The victims killed in the massacre were identified as Joshua Barrick, Deana Eckert, Tommy Elliott, Juliana Farmer and Jim Tutt Jr. All five were employees of the bank.
“We do know this was targeted. He knew those individuals, of course, because he worked there,” Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel, the interim chief of the Louisville Metro Police Department, said Tuesday, without specifying if the shooter targeted the individuals or the bank itself.
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