LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Five people died and eight others were injured Monday morning when a man opened fire at a bank in downtown Louisville. The shooter was killed by responding police officers who returned fire, authorities said.
Police said the shooter opened fire on his coworkers at Old National Bank on East Main Street just before 8:40 a.m. The victims have been identified as James “Jim” Tutt, 64; Thomas “Tommy” Elliott, 63; Juliana Farmer, 45; Joshua Barrick, 40; and Deana Eckert, 57.
‘Suspect down, get the officer’
Update 5:45 p.m. EDT April 11: Body camera footage showed the tension at Old National Bank as Louisville police exchanged gunfire with the shooter on Monday morning.
Footage from Officer Cory Galloway’s body camera showed police discussing the difficulty in seeing the gunman, who was firing through the glass in the front of the bank.
“Shooter has an angle on that officer!” one officer can be heard saying. “We got to get up there!”
“He could see out where no one could see in,” Louisville Metro Police Department Deputy Chief Paul Humphrey said during a news conference Monday evening.
Officer Nickolas Wilt, who ran in the direction of the gunfire, was shot in the head during the exchange. When police were able to take down the shooter, they immediately worked to get remove Wilt from the area.
“Suspect down, get the officer!” one officer can be heard shouting.
Wilt was in critical condition. Galloway suffered a minor gunshot wound, police said.
— Bob D’Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Police release body camera footage
Update 5:15 p.m. EDT April 11: The Louisville Metro Police Department released a nine-minute video of body camera footage of Monday’s shooting at a downtown bank in Louisville.
During Tuesday’s 5 p.m. EDT news conference, Louisville Metro Police Department Deputy Chief Paul Humphrey narrated the footage, which was taken from the body cams of police officers who entered the Old National Bank.
One of the body cam videos came from Officer Nickolas Wilt, a rookie who had graduated from training 10 days before the shooting. The other officer involved was Officer Cory Galloway, who had been training Wilt.
“Officer Wilt was a brand new officer, he had no experience. He was going based on two things: his training and his character,” Humphrey told reporters. “And you will see that he never hesitates — even after getting shot at — this young man went back in to the line of fire in order to protect others, and you’re going to see that and how he made his decisions and how they ultimately protected other people’s lives.”
Humphrey said there were graphic images but most were blurred. None of the footage showed any of the victims.
“The response wasn’t perfect but it was exactly the response we needed,” Humphrey said.
The video, who began at 8:40 a.m. EDT on Monday, was preceded by still photographs of the shooter as he entered the bank and the aftermath of the shooting.
The footage shows the officers approaching the steps of the building, and gunfire can be heard.
“These officers unflinchingly answered the call to protect and their duty to serve,” Interim Chief Jacquelyn Gwynn-Villaroel said before the video was released. “They confronted acts of violence head-on and neutralized the threat.”
— Bob D’Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Gun was purchased legally on April 4
Update 11:45 a.m. EDT April 11: Three victims are listed as stable and fair condition, while the final victim, a police officer is listed in critical but stable condition, according to Dr. Jason Smith, chief medical officer of the University of Louisville Health system. Smith said 170 units of blood were used to save the victims which were more than what the hospital had on hand. He credited the American Red Cross for saving lives.
Louisville Metro Police Department Interim Chief Jackie Gwinn-Villaroel said Officer Nickolas Wilt, a rookie who had graduated from training 10 days before the shooting, was shot in the head. The interim chief told WDRB that “It’s looking hopeful,” in reference to Wilt’s condition, The Associated Press reported.
Gwinn-Villaroel confirmed that the suspect was a current employee and that he purchased the weapon used in Monday’s shooting legally on April 4 in Louisville. CNN reported that it was an AR-15-style rifle.
Police have recovered items from the shooter’s home, but did not specify what they recovered due to the ongoing investigation. Gwinn-Villaroel said that police body camera footage will be released later today.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg announced that a vigil will be held Wednesday at 5 p.m. EDT at the Muhammad Ali Center to honor the victims, CNN reported.
— Natalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
1 victim still listed in critical condition
Update 11:39 a.m. EDT April 11: Officials said that one person is still listed in critical condition while three others are still hospitalized, CNN reported.
Four others who had been taken to the hospital have been discharged.
— Natalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
“I witnessed people being murdered”
Update 9:23 a.m. EDT April 11: The bank manager of Old National Bank spoke to CNN saying she watched the massacre happen as she participated in a virtual staff meeting Monday morning.
Rebecca Buchheit-Sims told CNN that it “happened very quickly,” adding, “I witnessed people being murdered. I don’t know how else to say that.”
One man who was in the bank but was able to escape said the person next to him was shot.
“We heard a click, and the lady next to me turned around and said, ‘What the hell?’” Troy Haste told WHAS according to The New York Times. “And he just started shooting. He had a long assault rifle, and the shots just started firing,”
“Whoever was next to me got shot — blood is on me from it,” Haste went on to say. He was able to hold up in a breakroom while the shooting continued.
Officials told CNN that the shooting lasted only a minute and that it is not clear why the gunman stopped shooting. In a live stream of the rampage, the shooter sat in the lobby of the bank appearing to wait for the police. About a minute and a half later, he and the police exchanged gunfire, leaving the shooter dead. The live stream of the incident has been removed from Instagram, CNN reported.
Video of the shooting is expected to be released sometime today.
— Natalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Shooter was about to be fired
Update 9:18 a.m. EDT April 11: Police said the gunman was about to lose his job, CNN reported. Connor Sturgeon had been an intern at the bank for three summers before he secured a full-time job for two years, according to his LinkedIn profile and CNN. But he had been told that he was going to be fired from the job, law enforcement said.
The New York Times reported the gunman was a “syndications associate and portfolio banker.”
Police said he had left a note for his parents and a friend about the shooting but it is not known if anyone found the message before Monday’s violence.
— Natalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Police: 57-year-old woman is fifth person to die in shooting
Update 9:23 p.m. EDT April 10: Police in Louisville said a fifth person has died as a result of Monday’s shooting at a downtown bank, the Courier Journal reported.
Deana Eckert, 57, died Monday night, according to a statement from Louisville Metro Police spokesman Aaron Ellis.
It was unclear whether Eckert was an employee at the bank, WLKY-TV reported. The other four victims — Josh Barrick, Tommy Elliott, Jim Tutt and Julian Farmer — all worked at the Old National Bank, the Courier Journal reported.
— Bob D’Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Shooter graduated from University of Alabama
Update 8:59 p.m. EDT April 10: The man who police said opened fire at a bank in Louisville, Kentucky, killing four and injuring nine, was a University of Alabama graduate, the school confirmed Monday.
Police said the shooter opened fire on his coworkers at Old National Bank on East Main Street just before 8:40 a.m. The victims have been identified as James “Jim” Tutt, 64; Thomas “T” Elliott, 63; Juliana Farmer, 45; and Joshua Barrick, 40.
Sturgeon completed his undergraduate studies with a double major in finance and economics. He then received a master’s of science degree, also from Alabama, according to the news outlet.
According to the Louisville Courier Journal, Sturgeon’s family lived in Greenville, Indiana, and he graduated from Floyd Central High School, where he played basketball.
— Bob D’Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Police release photo of critically injured officer
Update 4:10 p.m. EDT April 10: The Louisville Metro Police Department released a photo Monday afternoon of Officer Nickolas Wilt, a newly graduated officer who was shot in the head while responding to Monday’s deadly shooting at Old National Bank.
Police said Wilt, who graduated from the academy on March 31, “ran towards the gunfire today to save lives.”
Interim Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel said Wilt underwent brain surgery on Monday. He remains in critical but stable condition.
Shooter livestreamed while firing at Old National Bank
Update 4:05 p.m. EDT April 10: The 23-year-old who opened fire at Old National Bank, killing four people and injuring nine others, livestreamed the attack on social media, Interim Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel said.
She said it was “tragic to know that ... (the) incident was out there and captured,” and added that authorities were hoping to get the footage removed.
The interim chief said that police did not appear to have had prior contact with the shooter. He died after officers opened fire while responding to the shooting.
Next 24 hours critical for 3 who underwent surgery after shooting, hospital official says
Update 4 p.m. EDT April 10: Dr. Jason Smith, chief medical officer with University of Louisville Health, said three people who were in critical condition after Monday’s shooting had to undergo surgery for treatment of their wounds.
“The next 24 hours for all involved in this who required an operation are going to be the critical time period for us to understand really how well they’re going to recover from this acute part of their overall care,” Smith said. “They’ve got long roads ahead of them but if we can get through a 24 hours, then we will take another 24 hours, and we will keep doing that until they get out of the hospital.”
Medical personnel treated five gunshot wounds after getting nine victims from Monday’s shooting at Old National Bank, Smith said. Among those critically injured is a 26-year-old police officer who graduated on March 31 from the police academy.
Governor says slain victims included ‘one of my closest friends’
Update 3:50 p.m. EDT April 10: Gov. Andy Beshear said one of his closest friends was among the four killed in Monday’s shooting at Old National Bank.
“Tommy Elliott helped me build my law career, helped me become governor, gave me advice on being a good dad,” the governor said. “He’s one of the people I talk to most in the world and very rarely were we talking about my job. He was an incredible friend.”
Elliott, 63, is one of four people killed in Monday’s shooting. Also slain were James Tutt, 64; Juliana Farmer, 45; and Joshua Barrick, 40.
“Each (of the victims were) amazing people whose families grieve them, whose community will mourn and miss them,” Beshear said. “These are irreplaceable, amazing individuals that a terrible act of violence tore from all of us.”
He said two of his other friends survived Monday’s shooting, including one that he’d earlier believed had died in the attack.
Mayor: ‘This was an evil act of targeted violence’
Update 3:40 p.m. EDT April 10: Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg described Monday’s shooting as “an evil act of targeted violence.”
He said that he and Gov. Andy Beshear were good friends with one of the victims, 63-year-old Thomas “Tommy” Elliott. Elliott and three others were killed after a 25-year-old identified as an Old National Bank employee opened fire Monday morning. Nine others, including two police officers, were injured.
Critically injured officer just graduated from police academy
Update 3:35 p.m. EDT April 10: Interim Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel said an officer who remained in critical but stable condition Monday afternoon after being shot during a confrontation with a man who opened fire at a bank had just recently graduated from the police academy.
Officer Nickolas Wilt, 26, graduated on March 31.
“I just swore him in, and his family was there to witness his journey to become a police officer,” the police chief said.
Wilt suffered a gunshot wound to his head and underwent brain surgery on Monday. He is one of two police officers who were injured Monday. The other had a minor injury to their elbow, Gwinn-Villaroel said.
“The next few days are important and very critical for Nicholas’ recovery,” the chief added.
Police identify shooting victims
Update 3:30 p.m. EDT April 10: Authorities identified the four people shot and killed at Old National Bank on Monday morning.
The victims were identified as James Tutt, 64; Thomas Elliott, 63; Juliana Farmer, 45; and Joshua Barrick, 40. Police said they died after a 25-year-old Old National Bank employee opened fire just before 8:40 a.m.
Shooter identified as 25-year-old Old National Bank employee
Update 3:20 p.m. EDT April 10: Police identified the man who opened fire Monday morning at Old National Bank, killing four people and injuring nine others before he also died, as a 25-year-old employee named Connor Sturgeon.
Sturgeon was originally identified as being 23.
Interim Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel said Sturgeon used a rifle to shoot four people between the ages of 40 and 64. Of the nine injured, six remained hospitalized on Monday afternoon. Three people were in critical condition.
Police expected to share update Monday afternoon
Update 2:40 p.m. EDT April 10: Officials with the Louisville Metro Police Department said authorities will hold a news conference with Mayor Craig Greenberg and Gov. Andy Beshear at 3 p.m. on Monday.
Biden calls for Congress to act after Louisville shooting
Update 1:25 p.m. EDT April 10: President Joe Biden urged Congress to take action after Monday’s deadly shooting in downtown Louisville.
“Too many Americans are paying for the price of inaction with their lives,” the president said in a post on social media. “When will Republicans in Congress act to protect our communities?”
Biden has called for stricter gun control measures — particularly banning assault weapons — throughout his presidency. In March, he signed an executive order to increase the number of background checks needed to purchase a gun.
[ Biden expected to sign new executive order on gun control ]
2 officers, 7 civilians injured in bank shooting, hospital officials say
Update 1:15 p.m. EDT April 10: Officials with the University of Louisville Hospital told Spectrum News 1 Kentucky that they treated nine patients following Monday’s shooting in downtown Louisville.
Two of those injured are police officers while the other two are civilians, officials said. At least three patients had been discharged as of Monday afternoon.
Witness: ‘The sound is what I keep thinking about. It was so loud.’
Update 12:25 p.m. EDT April 10: A man who lives near the building where gunshots rang out Monday morning told the Courier Journal that he saw officers speeding down the wrong way of a street while walking home around 8:30 a.m.
Terrance Sullivan told the newspaper that about 20 officers got out of the police cars with their rifles raised. They ran into the building and he heard as many as 15 shots fired. People were screaming inside, he said.
“It was a lot of activity for like 20 seconds,” Sullivan told the Courier Journal. “The sound is what I keep thinking about. It was so loud. People in my building who were inside could hear it. Being outside on the street as it happened — I’ve heard gunshots before, but not that many like that.”
Old National Bank sending support for employees
Update 12:05 p.m. EDT April 10: Officials with Old National Bank traveled to the bank’s location on East Main Street in downtown Louisville Monday following a deadly shooting earlier in the day.
“The safety of Old National Bank employees and everyone we serve in our banking center locations is paramount,” bank CEO Jim Ryan said in a statement shared on social media. “As we await more details, we are deploying employee assistance support and keeping everyone affected by this tragedy in our thoughts and prayers.”
Earlier, police said the lone suspected gunman appeared to have been a previous employee of the bank. Details about when he worked at Old National Bank and the circumstances around his exit were not immediately made public.
Gov. Beshear says 2 friends killed, another hurt in shooting
Update 12 p.m. EDT April 10: Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear reiterated calls for prayers for the victims of Monday’s shooting, saying at a news conference that two of his close friends were killed and another was injured in the attack.
“This is awful,” the governor said at a news conference. “When we all talk about praying, I hope people will, for those that we are hoping can make it through the surgeries that they’re going through. And then we’ve got to do what we’ve done these last three years after everything: We’ve got to wrap our arms around these families.”
Beshear said his 2015 campaign for Kentucky attorney general “was out of that building.”
“I know virtually everyone in it,” he said. “That’s my bank.”
Police earlier said four people were killed and eight injured after a gunman opened fire at Old National Bank. Investigators believe the shooter was a previous employee of the bank.
Mayor asks for prayers for victims of Monday’s shooting
Update 11:50 a.m. EDT April 10: Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg asked people to pray for the victims of Monday’s shooting who remain hospitalized “fighting for their lives as a result of another act of gun violence.”
“My prayers go out to the families who have lost loved ones today,” he said. “My prayers go out to the officers who are at the hospital right now, and my thanks for all of them.”
Deputy Chief Col. Paul Humphrey said the gunman was still firing shots when police arrived in response to calls of an “active aggressor” at Old National Bank.
“It is clear from the officer’s response that they absolutely saved people’s lives,” he said.
Shooter appears to be previous bank employee, police say
Update 11:35 a.m. EDT April 10: Police said the gunman who opened fire at a bank in downtown Louisville on Monday morning had a connection to the business.
“We’re trying to establish what that connection was to the business but it appears he was a previous employee,” Deputy Chief Col. Paul Humphrey said at a news conference. He added that authorities believe the shooter was acting alone.
At least four people died and eight others were injured after the shooter, who has not been identified, opened fire at Old National Bank. Authorities continue to investigate.
2 police officers among those injured
Update 11:25 a.m. EDT April 10: Authorities said that at least two Louisville Metro Police Department officers are among the eight people injured in Monday morning’s shooting at the Old National Bank in Louisville.
One of the officers was in critical condition and undergoing surgery at the University of Louisville Hospital, authorities said. One other person was also in critical condition, officials said.
Police said they continue working to identify the victims.
“This will be a long scene,” Police Deputy Chief Col. Paul Humphrey said at a news conference. “It will take pretty much into the night.”
Police: At least 4 killed, 8 injured in shooting
Update 11:20 a.m. EDT April 10: Police revised the number of victims in Monday’s shooting, saying at least four people were killed and at least eight others were injured.
The shooter is also dead after exchanging gunfire with officers. It was not immediately clear whether he died of a self-inflicted wound or whether officers killed him, police said.
Earlier, officials said at least five people were dead and six others injured.
Police share timeline of shooting response
Update 10:50 a.m. EDT April 10: Police said they responded to calls of an “active aggressor” at the Old National Bank on East Main Street in downtown Louisville around 8:30 a.m. A gunman had opened fire and killed at least five people, authorities said. Six others, including a police officer, were injured.
“The lone shooter is deceased,” police said in a series of social media posts. “There is no longer a danger to the public.”
Officials asked that people continue to avoid the area.
‘Active shooter!’: Video shows early response to bank shooting
Update 10:40 a.m. EDT April 10: Video posted on social media showed officers responding to a shooting Monday morning at the Old National Bank at 333 East Main St. in downtown Louisville as gunfire was ongoing.
“Active shooter!” a person can be heard yelling in the clip.
Authorities said one police officer was among the at least six people injured Monday. Five people were killed, and officials said the shooter was also dead following the gunfire.
At least 5 killed, 6 injured, police say
Update 10:24 a.m. EDT April 10: Police confirmed that at least five people were killed and six others injured in Monday’s shooting.
Officers, fire officials and medics found gunfire ongoing when they responded to a report of the shooting early Monday at the Old National Bank at 333 East Main St. Among those injured was a police officer, officials said.
At a news conference Monday, police said that the shooter has also been killed, although the circumstances surrounding his death were not immediately clear.
Authorities did not elaborate on the conditions of those injured.
Original report: In a statement posted on social media, the Louisville Metro Police Department said officers were responding to a reported incident in the 300 block of East Main Street. A shooting was reported around 8:30 a.m. at Old National Bank, WAVE and WDRB reported.
“There are multiple casualties,” police said.
Authorities did not immediately elaborate on the extent or number of injuries. At least three ambulances were seen leaving the scene, according to WDRB.
In a Twitter post, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said police confirmed the situation was a shooting.
“Please pray for the families impacted and for the city of Louisville,” the governor said.
Check back for updates to this developing story.