LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The bank employee who opened fire at his Louisville workplace targeted specific people with the rifle he bought legally a week earlier, police said Tuesday.
Louisville Metro Police Department Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel said at a news conference that bank employee Connor Sturgeon, 25, bought the AR-15 rifle on April 4 at a local dealership.
What You Need To Know
- Louisville officials provided several updates Tuesday after the bank shooting where five were killed and eight were wounded, including three LMPD officers
- Police said the 25-year-old shooter bought the AR-15 he used in the massacre from a local dealership just one week ago
- Body camera footage will be released later Tuesday at 5 p.m., and 911 calls will be released soon as well
- Louisville is holding a community vigil at the Muhammad Ali Center on Wednesday at 5 p.m.
Armed with the rifle, Sturgeon killed five people — including a close friend of Kentucky’s governor — while livestreaming the attack Monday on Instagram, authorities said. Another eight people were wounded.
The body cam footage and audio from 911 calls are being edited to protect the privacy of those involved, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg (D) said at a press conference. LMPD Interim Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel said the body cam footage would be released Tuesday at 5 p.m., but 911 calls would be released “as soon as possible.”
Police arrived as shots were still being fired inside the building and killed the shooter, who was livestreaming on Instagram as the massacre unfolded. Meta, the parent company that owns Facebook and Instagram, quickly removed the footage.
Officials also shared plans for a community vigil to remember the victims and pray for healing, will be held Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET at the Muhammad Ali Center at 144 N. 6th Street. Parking will be free. More details will be available later today on the Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods’ website.
“The strength of our community in the face of this horrific event has been heartwarming,” Greenberg said. “As we continue to deal with the aftermath of Monday’s shooting and address the gun violence across our city that has become all too familiar to us, we need to remember that while we may be tested, our city will not break.”
As part of the investigation, police descended on the neighborhood where the suspect lived, about 5 miles south of the downtown shooting.
Joined by UofL Health’s Dr. Jason Smith, Greenberg highlighted the importance of blood donations in crises like the one that unfolded on Monday. Gunshot wounds require nearly 10 times as much blood as other wounds and ailments. He encouraged anyone able to donate blood to the Red Cross today, or to make future appointments if they can.
“When you take an hour or two out of your day to give blood, you are taking a huge step in saving someone’s life,” Greenberg said.
Smith added that blood from the local Red Cross likely saved lives, since the hospital’s supply ran low as doctors treated victims of the shooting.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
