FIVE people, including a gunman, are dead and nine others are injured following a mass shooting at a bank building in Louisville.
Police responded to gunfire inside the Old National Bank on East Main Street in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, at around 8.40 on Monday.
A witness who was inside the building told WHAS11 they saw a man with a “long assault rifle” fire multiple shots inside the bank on the first floor, near the conference room area.
“He just started firing,” the startled witness said.
“I didn’t see his face. We were in the conference room. Whoever was next to me got shot, there’s blood on me.”
The shooter, who has been identified as 25-year-old Connor Sturgeon, was shot dead by police after exchanging gunfire.
Police said Sturgeon was a current employee at the bank.
A motive behind the shooting has yet to be established.
The four victims were identified as Tommy Elliott, 63, James Tutt, 64, Jiliana Farmer, 45, and Joshua Barrick, 40.
Elliott was a senior vice president at the bank.
Officer Nickolas Wilt, 26, who graduated from the police academy on March 21, was shot in the head and is in critical but stable condition after undergoing brain surgery at the University of Louisville Hospital.
Two other victims are in critical condition, police said.
Three others sustained non-life-threatening injuries, and three have since been released, Dr. Jason Smith of UofL Hospital informed reporters at a press conference.
Multiple Louisville Metro officers, FBI and ATF agents were seen gathered outside the Old National Bank across from Slugger Field, home of the Cincinnati Reds triple-A affiliate, the Louisville Bats.
The Old National Bank is located on the first floor of the multi-purpose building on East Main Street.
Video posted on social media shows police responding to gunshots in the area as officers are heard screaming, “active shooter in the bank,” and directing people to leave the site.
A witness told WDRB she was driving by the intersection when she heard several gunshots and breaking glass.
“I had just dropped my son off at work on River Road,” Debbie told the outlet.
“I was at the stop light – As I was sitting at that intersection, gunfire erupted, like, right over my head.
“I didn’t know if it was going at the bank or out of the bank. I took off.”
“When I turned, I saw that one of the windows in the bank had been blown out,” she added.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear tweeted: “Please pray for all of the families impacted and for the city of Louisville.”
During an 11am press conference, Beshear said he was personal friends with two of the victims who died and one of those injured.
Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/7837540/shooting-downtown-louisville-ky-multiple-casualties/