Reports of a potential shooting began trickling in Monday at about 8:38 a.m. local time, with first responders being directed within three minutes to the Old National Bank in downtown Louisville, Kentucky.
Five Dead, Eight Injured
Details released by Kentucky's Louisville Metropolitan Police Department revealed that five people were killed in the shooting, with investigators identifying the individuals as:
Joshua Barrick, 40
Thomas Elliot, 63
Juliana Farmer, 45
James Tutt, 64
Deanna Eckert, 57
As for the injured, all nine individuals were transported to the University of Louisville Hospital, including two officers. Dr. Jason Smith, the chief medical officer at the hospital, relayed to reporters that three of the injured had been released from the hospital as another three continued to receive treatment for non-life-threatening injuries.
Two remaining individuals sustained critical wounds and required serious operations. Eckert, who was initially included among the seriously injured, was pronounced dead some six hours after the attack.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear (D) publicly acknowledged he lost one of his "closest friends" in the shooting, referring to Elliot, who the lawmaker said "helped me build my law career, helped me become governor, gave me advice on being a good dad."
"He was an incredible friend," Beshear said. "These are irreplaceable, amazing individuals that a terrible act of violence tore from all of us."
However, Beshear wasn't alone in memorializing Elliot. US Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) also took the opportunity to express his shock in losing Elliot and offered "prayers" to his family.
The governor has ordered flags be flown at half-staff until Friday evening to honor the victims of the mass shooting, which marked the 15th such incident since the start of 2023 in the US.
Who Was the Gunman?
Investigators detailed late Monday that the gunman had been identified as 25-year-old Connor Sturgeon, a bank employee who entered the grounds with a rifle and proceeded to livestream the mass shooting.
Sturgeon had worked at the Old National Bank for nearly two years on a full-time basis after having initially interned at the branch over the summer months. A LinkedIn page described him as a "syndications associate and portfolio banker," according to reports.
While officials have yet to release an exact motive for the shooting, some details have suggested that the shooter was a disgruntled employee. Citing screenshots of the shooter's social media posts, some outlets have flagged at least three Instagram posts suggesting the gunman was planning to act out.
The gunman was eventually killed by police after exchanging fire with them.
US' 15th Mass Shooting
The Monday shooting marked the US' 15th mass shooting of 2023. Figures reviewed by US media revealed that since 2009, the most mass shootings that had ever occurred prior in the first 100 days of a calendar year were 16.
To date, the years with the high number of mass shootings were in 2019 and 2022, with 45 and 42 incidents, respectively.
US President Joe Biden in a statement condemned the shooting on Monday and used the incident - as with the many that preceded it - as a means to call for comprehensive gun legislation. "Once again, our nation mourns after a senseless act of gun violence – Jill and I pray for the lives lost and impacted by today's shooting," Biden wrote in a tweet.