An “unthinkable day” unfolded in Louisville, Kentucky, when a gunman opened fire at the Old National Bank downtown, Mayor Craig Greenberg said. The gunman shot 13 people before police returned fire, killing him.
The gunman was a bank employee who committed “an evil act of targeted violence,” Greenberg said during a news conference on April 10, hours after the shooting. He, the city’s police chief, and the governor of Kentucky all knew one or more of the people who were hurt or killed.
Four victims died in the immediate aftermath of the shooting: Thomas “Tommy” Elliott, 63; Joshua Barrick, 40; Juliana Farmer, 57; and James Tutt, 64. During the evening of April 10, police announced that a fifth victim, Deana Eckert, 57, passed away. All five were bank employees, mostly in executive roles, according to profiles on LinkedIn.
Eckert was one of nine victims taken to the University of Louisville Hospital. Two people, including a police officer, remained in critical condition, and three were hospitalized with less-serious injuries. Three shooting victims were treated and released, officials said.
In an emotional news conference, Greenberg, Interim Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel, and Kentucky Gov. Andrew Beshear described the tragedy’s effects on the community and on them, as friends or acquaintances of the victims.
Throughout their remarks, officials remained focused on the victims; the police chief stated that she would only mention the gunman’s name once, and she stuck to that vow.
The gunman, Connor Sturgeon, 25, used a rifle, Gwinn-Villaroel said, while he live-streamed the attack on Instagram. She declined to answer further questions about Sturgeon’s actions and motives, saying it would take time for police to piece together the whole backstory.
Officer Down, 10 Days into New Job
Within three minutes after the first person called 911 to report “shots fired,” police arrived at the bank, Gwinn-Villaroel said. The officers courageously sprang into action without taking time to assess the danger, she said, so that they could save lives.Gwinn-Villaroel, who has only been interim chief since January, thanked officers for their heroism, noting that, at times, they have felt unappreciated. “I asked my officers when I addressed them today: ‘If we don’t do it, who will?’” she said.
“And so they’re very committed ... and their resiliency showed today, and their professionalism showed today.”
Among those brave responding officers was Nickolas Wilt, 26. The mayor and chief had welcomed him to the force, along with his family, only 10 days earlier, on March 31. But he was critically injured during the exchange of gunfire at the bank. Wilt was shot in the head and underwent brain surgery, the chief said; he was in “critical but stable” condition at the hospital.
“I’ve been down there with the family and given my love and support,” Gwinn-Villaroel said, adding, “The next few days are important and very critical for Nickolas’s recovery.”
The chief, the mayor, and the governor said they visited with families of the other shooting victims, too.
“To the survivors and the families, our entire city is here to wrap our arms around you,” Greenberg said.
The victims’ families were incredibly grateful for the police response to the crisis, Gwinn-Villaroel said. “They were actually embracing me as I was embracing them,” she said. But she said it struck to see and hear families in such despair and grief.
“They are weeping because someone decided that they wanted to take life today,” she said.
Governor, Fellow Kentuckians Hurting
Beshear said two of his friends, whom he didn’t name, survived the shooting. But one of his Beshear’s closest friends, Elliott—also a friend of Greenberg—was killed.“Tommy Elliott 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.
“I’m hurt, and I’m hurt-ing,” the governor said, emphasizing that last syllable as he spoke. “And I know so many people out there are (hurting) as well.”
Beshear lamented the deaths of all the victims, whom he called “children of God.”
“These are irreplaceable, amazing individuals that a terrible act of violence tore from all of us,” Beshear said.
He expressed gratitude to local police and assisting agencies for their speedy response, which surely saved a number of lives.
“The first battle was stopping that gunman. The second is doing everything we can to keep those that have been wounded alive,” Beshear said, thanking medical personnel.
“These doctors and nurses are fighting for the lives of our friends, of our family. And we are deeply grateful to them,” he said.
Beshear also encouraged people to uplift the victims’ families, whether they are mourning a death or worried about a person who was wounded.
Uninjured Witnesses Also Need Support
Greenberg, the mayor, also had a message for others who were inside the bank. Even if they escaped unscathed, many people’s lives “will never be the same,” Greenberg said, adding that he understands that firsthand.“I am a survivor of a workplace shooting,” he declared. Greenberg gave no details but said, “To the people who survived, whether you were physically hurt or not, I know that you are hurting, too. We are here for you as well.”
He said it saddened him that, adding to the day’s tragic events, another shooting incident occurred a few blocks from Old National Bank.
“Another man lost his life, and a woman was shot in a completely different act of targeted violence,” Greenberg said.
“The two incidents appear to be entirely unrelated, but they both took lives. They both leave people scarred, grieving and angry. I share all of those feelings myself right now. This is really difficult for all of us across the entire city to process and accept.”
Greenberg said a Family Assistance Center has been set up through the American Red Cross to provide support and services to anyone who needs it; he pledged that city leaders would do everything possible to help people.
“Let’s hold each other close and provide comfort where we can,” he said, adding that officials would be announcing more information about how to donate to the affected families or participate in a community-wide vigil.
Beshear said the tragedy seemed particularly poignant the day after Easter Sunday when Christians celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
“Easter is about a rebirth, a better world, one where we’re all supposed to work together to get there; one that’s supposed to teach us love from a Savior that came,” Beshear said. “The world fell in love with Him not because of His power, but for His compassion.”
