In what the mayor of Louisville, Kentucky, called an “evil act of intentional violence,” at least five people have died in a shooting at a bank in the city.
The gunman was identified as Connor Sturgeon, a 23-year-old employee of the Old National Bank, by the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) on Monday.
Sturgeon attacked his workplace while streaming live, killing five of his coworkers and injuring nine others, including two police officers. Authorities reported that he was slain following a gunfight with cops.
Authorities named the victims James Tutt, 64, Deana Eckert, 57, Thomas Elliot, 63, Juliana Farmer, 45, and Joshua Barrick, 40.
A rifle was the gunman’s “weapon of choice,” interim Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel told reporters. “This will be a long, complex investigation involving local, state and federal partners,” she said.
The shooting has renewed calls for gun reforms in the United States, with President Joe Biden singling out Republicans as he demanded action to “protect our communities.”
“It’s long past time that we require safe storage of firearms. Require background checks for all gun sales. Eliminate gun manufacturers’ immunity from liability,” Biden said in a statement.
Local leaders in Kentucky also requested assistance for the neighborhood. Governor Andy Beshear told reporters at a news event, “This is awful. Later, he claimed that one of the fatalities, Elliot, was among his “closest friends.”
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Holding back tears, Beshear urged compassion for survivors. “Our bodies and our minds are not meant to go through these types of tragedies,” he said. “There are a lot of people that are hurting today.”
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg vowed the city would unite to prevent “horrific acts of gun violence from continuing.”
According to his LinkedIn profile page, Sturgeon worked at the bank as an intern for three summers between 2018 and 2020 before starting a full-time career as a portfolio banker in 2022.
“This was a targeted act of evil violence” Greenberg, who said he also knew Elliot, told reporters.
Kentucky senator and minority leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, a Republican, expressed his “devastation” over the shooting.
“We send our prayers to the victims, their families, and the city of Louisville as we await more information,” McConnell said in a tweet.
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. We send our prayers to the victims, their families, and the city of Louisville as we await more information.
— Leader McConnell (@LeaderMcConnell) April 10, 2023
Officers and ambulances could be seen on the street in the scene video. According to the FBI, it also sent agents to the region.
The Old National Bank’s CEO, James Ryan, emphasized the importance of branch security for customers and staff.
“As we await more details, we are deploying employee assistance support and keeping everyone affected by this tragedy in our thoughts and prayers,” Ryan said in a statement.
The tragedy in Louisville, a 630,000-person city in northern Kentucky, is the most recent mass shooting in the US, a country that has long fought to reduce gun violence.
According to local news agencies on Monday, one person was killed and another was hurt in a separate incident outside a Jefferson Community and Technical College building in Louisville. This shooting happened close to the bank robbery.
There have been 145 mass shootings in the US so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a website that keeps track of shootings across the country.
Biden has been pleading with lawmakers to outlaw assault rifles, but gun control is a divisive political topic.
Republicans have traditionally opposed stronger gun laws, claiming that doing so would go against the Second Amendment of the US Constitution, which guarantees people’s freedom to keep and carry arms.
On Monday, some Democrats called for changing gun legislation referencing the shooting in Louisville.
Democratic Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, called for “meaningful action” against gun violence.
“This kind of gun violence is a uniquely American epidemic,” Jayapal said in a social media post.
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