Louisville shooting : Gunman to be tested for CTE as victims’ funerals begin today
Connor Sturgeon will be tested posthumously for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), his father says
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The gunman behind the Louisville bank shooting will be tested posthumously for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), his father has said.
Connor Sturgeon’s family have said he suffered from “mental health challenges” but showed no warning signs of what he planned to do before he carried out the shooting at the Old National Bank on Monday.
Funeral arrangements were released on Thursday for most of the five bank employees killed in the massacre, with the first taking place for Tommy Elliott on Friday.
Chilling 911 calls have also been released of terrified bank employees reporting the shooting.
In one of the calls, a woman speaks in hushed tones as she says she is hiding in a closet from the gunman. Multiple gunshots ring out in the background as the dispatcher urges her to “stay quiet”.
Sturgeon’s mother also called 911 saying that her son “currently has a gun and is heading toward” the bank.
Who are the victims of the Louisville bank shooting in Kentucky?
A 25-year-old employee opened fire at a bank in Louisville, Kentucky, on Monday morning, killing five people and injuring eight others while live streaming the attack.
The shooter, identified as bank employee Connor Sturgeon, entered the Old National Bank in the downtown area of the city at around 8.30am armed with an AR-15-style rifle.
He shot and killed four bank executives inside the first-floor conference room before exchanging gunfire with responding police officers. Louisville deputy police chief Paul Humphrey said that he was shot dead by officer fire.
A fifth victim later succumbed to her injuries in hospital. All five were executives at the bank.
The victims have now been identified as Joshua Barrick, Thomas Elliott, Juliana Farmer, James Tutt, and Deana Eckert.
Eight others, including two police officers, were hospitalised with their injuries. One of the officers, 26-year-old Nickolas Wilt, who only graduated from the police academy in March, remains in critical condition after being shot in the head.
Mr Wilt “ran towards the gunfire today to save lives”, the police department said on Twitter.
Here is what we know so far about the victims:
Everything we know about the victims of Louisville bank shooting
Five victims killed were all executives at Old National Bank in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. Alisha Rahaman Sarkar and Rachel Sharp report
VIDEO: Mother of gunman makes 911 call before son kills five
Vigil held in memory of victims
The victims of Monday’s mass shooting were remembered at a vigil on Wednesday.
Hundreds gathered to honour the five victims killed in the attack – Josh Barrick, 40; Tommy Elliott, 63; Jim Tutt, 64; Juliana Farmer, 57; and Deanna Eckert, 57 – and call for action to tackle gun violence.
The prayer vigil took place at 5pm at the Muhammad Ali Center plaza.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear spoke at the vigil about losing one of his close friends – Elliott – in the attack.
He said that some of his other friends survived thanks to the quick response from law enforcement.
“I’ve got two friends and more that survived because LMPD got there in about three minutes,” he said. “I want to thank you all.”
The victims: Tommy Elliott
Thomas “Tommy” Elliott, 63, was a senior vice president of commercial real estate at Old National Bank.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said Elliott was one of his closest friends. “Tommy Elliot helped me … to become governor,” Mr Beshear said at Monday’s news conference.
“He gave me advice on being a good dad… he was an incredible friend,” the governor said, his voice shaking with emotion.
“The soul is eternal. I know that I will see Tommy again”.
Elliott, the former chair of the Kentucky Retirement Systems board, was reportedly threatened with arrest in 2016 when he refused to resign at the direction of then-Governor Matt Bevin. Elliott was appointed to the board by former Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear.
Former Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said he had also known Elliott for 40 years. They became close friends, and when Mr Fischer launched his first bid to be mayor, Elliott signed on to be his campaign finance manager and remained with him for the rest of his political career.
Mr Fischer said Elliott was a devoted family man. He is survived by his wife, two daughters, and two stepdaughters.
The victims: Joshua Barrick
Joshua Barrick, 40, was a senior vice president of commercial real estate banking at Old National. Barrick had worked for about two decades in banking and previously worked at WesBanco, according to The Courier-Journal.
Louisville Business First named him one of its 20 People to Know in Banking in 2020.
He is survived by his wife and two children.
The Holy Trinity Parish Louisville held a vigil on Monday evening to honour Barrick’s life. “They’re in shock,” pastor Shayne Duval said of Barrick’s family.
“I’ve been with his wife. I’ve been with his children. I’ve been with his brother and members of this community,” he was quoted by Fox19 as saying. “Everyone is just kind of walking around in a fog like, ‘Did this just really happen?’”
“Josh made himself known in our community in all the good ways. He was a very charismatic and charming man,” the pastor added.
The victims: Juliana Farmer
Juliana Farmer, 45, was a loan analyst with the Old National Bank, according to her LinkedIn page.
In her last post on Facebook on Sunday – one day before she was killed – she celebrated the fact she was expecting another grandchild.
“My (heart) is so happy!!!” she wrote. “Grand #5 on the way.”
Farmer’s family revealed that she had only recently moved to Louisville.
Michael Williams, who said he was Farmer’s uncle, wrote on Facebook: “She told me she was moving to Louisville, she had a great job opportunity. Now we’re mourning you losing your life at the job. I’m just hurt.”
The victims: Deana Eckert
Deana Eckert was rushed to hospital after Monday’s shooting and underwent multiple surgeries.
She succumbed to her injuries later that night, Louisville Metro Police said.
The 57-year-old was an executive administrative officer at the Old National Bank, where she worked for almost seven years.
Eckert graduated from Western Kentucky University.
The victims: James Tutt
James Tutt, 64, was a real estate market executive at the Old National Bank, where he spent almost a decade.
Oldham County judge-executive David Voegele knew Tutt for 11 years from his time on the board of the Oldham-La Grange Development Authority.
“He added a tremendous amount of insights as we went about developing our office park in LaGrange,” Mr Voegele told The Courier-Journal.
“He’s a very high quality, well-thought-of individual … It’s just sickening to hear what’s happened.”
Tutt was a Frankfort native who graduated from the University of Kentucky and worked in banking for over 38 years.
He leaves behind his wife, children, and grandchildren.
Louisville mass shooting: What the 911 calls show
The audio of the 911 calls from the Louisville bank shooting has been released, showing that the mother of gunman Connor Sturgeon knew that he was heading to Old National Bank with a firearm and that staff called in hushed tones asking for help from inside the bank during the ongoing shooting.
Those killed in the shooting include Joshua Barrick, 40; Juliana Farmer, 45; Deana Eckert, 57; Tommy Elliott, 63; and James Tutt, 64.
Ms Eckert was among the nine people taken to hospital on Monday before she passed away. Of the eight people who were shot but are still alive, six had been able to leave the hospital as of Wednesday.
Officer Nicholas Wilt, 26, remains in critical condition after he was shot in the head during the shooting.
The gunman was shot and killed by police.
“Transparency is important – even more so in times of crisis,” Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said in a press release on Wednesday. “Today, we are releasing the 911 calls from Monday’s mass shooting. Parts of the audio have been redacted to protect the privacy of those involved.”
The Louisville Metro Police Department released roughly 80 minutes of 911 calls and emergency responder radio transmissions on Wednesday night. Twelve calls were made to 911 to report the shooting.
Here’s what they show:
Louisville mass shooting: What the 911 calls show
911 caller said the gunman was ‘jogging around like he was trying to get somewhere in a hurry’
911 calls: Mother told of son’s plans by his roommate
The mother of the shooter called 911, saying that she was made aware by her son’s roommate that he was planning to shoot up the bank.
She called to warn the police of Monday’s shooting, saying that Sturgeon was armed and on his way to the bank, but the dispatcher said the shooting had already started by the time the mother’s call came in.
“We don’t even own guns. I don’t know where he would’ve gotten a gun,” the mother told the dispatcher. “I don’t know what to do. I need your help.”
“He has a gun, and he’s heading toward the Old National,” she said, adding that she wasn’t sure what Sturgeon was planning and that she had been made aware of what he was doing by his roommate.
“I’m so sorry. I’m getting details secondhand. I’m learning it now. Oh, lord,” she said.
As the call went on, the mother grew increasingly distraught.
“He’s never hurt anyone. He’s a really good kid,” she told the dispatcher. “He’s nonviolent. He’s never done anything.”
During the call, which lasts three minutes and 23 seconds, the mother asked if she should go to the bank.
“I don’t want you to go to the location,” the dispatcher responded. “We have a situation that’s going on down there right now. We have already had calls from other people.”
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