A lone gunman opened fire at the Old National Bank in Louisville, Kentucky, on Monday morning, killing five people and injuring nine others, including a rookie police officer who remains in critical condition after undergoing brain surgery. The attacker, identified as 25-year-old Connor Sturgeon, was a full-time employee at the bank who had recently been informed he would be fired. Sturgeon used an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle during the shooting and livestreamed the attack on Instagram. Police responded quickly, and an exchange of gunfire between the attacker and police officers resulted in Sturgeon’s death.
Among the victims were Thomas Elliot, a senior vice-president at the bank and a close friend of Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, who expressed his grief and called the shooting “an incredible tragedy.” The other victims were identified as James Tutt, Joshua Barrick, Julianna Farmer, and Deana Eckert. The attack is the latest in a string of mass shootings that have occurred in the United States in recent years, and it has sparked renewed calls for gun control legislation.
President Joe Biden tweeted his condolences to the victims’ families and demanded that Congress take action to pass gun control measures. Kentucky is one of 26 states in the United States that allows most adults over the age of 21 to purchase and carry a firearm without a license.
The shooting has shocked the community, with witnesses describing the horror they witnessed during the attack. Two survivors recounted how the gunshots first broke out in a ground-floor conference room at the bank, with one man pointing to blood stains on his shirt from those who were shot next to him.
Instagram, which is owned by Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has stated that it “quickly removed the livestream of this tragic incident this morning.” The livestream has raised questions about the role of social media platforms in facilitating and amplifying violent incidents.
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The incident has left the community in mourning and reignited the debate about gun control laws in the United States. The names of the victims have been released, and their families are left to grieve for their loved ones. The shooting serves as a grim reminder of the devastating impact of gun violence and the urgent need for action to address this ongoing crisis.
