Authorities identify former bank employee as shooter that killed 4 in Louisville

Louisville Metro Police have identified a 23-year-old man as the shooter who killed four people and injured several others in Kentucky before he was fatally shot by authorities at a downtown bank Monday morning.

Connor Sturgeon, a white male who police said was livesteaming the shooting, was a former employee at Old National Bank, the site of Monday morning’s shooting.

The new details emerged during a Monday afternoon news conference attended by city officials and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who said he’d lost a close friend in the shooting.

According to police, officers were dispatched to Old National Bank Monday morning for reports of an active shooter. When they arrived, the shooting was ongoing, but the shooter was reported dead soon after.

Louisville Metro Police Department Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel named him Monday afternoon during a news conference. She said Sturgeon was formerly an employee with Old National Bank and assumed he was a Louisville resident.

According to the police chief, Sturgeon was killed by police gunfire. He was reported to have used a “rifle,” although police did not specifically state what type.

Gwinn-Villaroel said Sturgeon was livestreaming the shooting as it happened.

“It was tragic to know that it was out there and that it was captured,” she said in the news conference. Police were working to remove the video footage, she continued.

Police did not comment on a motive behind the shooting when asked by the media Monday. They stated it was an active investigation and another update would be given in the future.

According to Sturgeon’s LinkedIn profile, he was a syndications associate and portfolio banker at the bank. He attended the University of Alabama for finance and economics from 2016 to 2020 and graduated with a master of science and finance in 2020. He was on the Young Professionals board for Junior Achievement of Kentuckiana.

Sturgeon also worked as a summer intern associate with the Old National Bank from May 2018 to August 2020. He was hired at the bank in June 2021, and he worked as a commercial development professional before taking the most recent portfolio banker position in April 2022.

According to social media accounts, Sturgeon graduated from Floyd Central High School in southern Indiana in 2016. According to the News and Tribune, based in Jeffersonville, Indiana, Sturgeon played basketball at the high school and ran track. He was a top athlete and was the 2016 NTSPY winner for Boys Track Athlete of the Year. During the 2015-16 season, Sturgeon won the Evansville Regional crown in the 400 meter, going on to finish 20th in the state meet.

Before he was killed by police, he shot and killed four individuals identified as Joshua Barrick, 40, Thomas Elliot, 63, Juliana Farmer, 57, and James Tutt, 64.

Louisville Democratic Rep. Keturah Herron decried the proliferation of gun violence and mass shooting events across the country, suggesting “outrage and anger” should be directed toward change.

“This is happening around the country in a city daily. Today was our turn in Louisville, KY. As we hold our community tighter there must (be) outrage and anger. We live in a war zone and we shouldn’t have to,” Herron wrote.

Sen. Karen Berg, D-Louisville, joined Herron in calling for change.

“It is time to address common sense gun legislation. KY requires all guns confiscated in the state to be resold on the open market. Will not even discuss red flag laws in the legislature. No office of gun safety. Thoughts and prayers are not enough! It is past time for action,” Berg tweeted.

Gun control was a topic of major interest in Tennessee in recent weeks after a school shooting there. GOP leadership in the state legislature expelled two Democratic lawmakers for protesting.

Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who is running for the GOP gubernatorial nomination this year, said that his office was monitoring the situation.

“Please pray for all who have been impacted and thank you to the brave men and women of our law enforcement community who are responding to the situation,” Cameron added in a tweet.

Fellow GOP gubernatorial candidate Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles expressed a similar sentiment.

“Praying for everyone involved in the shooting in downtown Louisville this morning. I’m grateful for our brave law enforcement officers and first responders who are dealing with this tragedy,” Quarles wrote.

Kelly Craft, a former ambassador to the United Nations and Canada who is in the crowded GOP Republican field for governor, said she was “devastated by the horrendous news.”

“Devastated by the horrendous news coming out of downtown Louisville this morning. Praying for the victims, their families, survivors, law enforcement, and the city of Louisville. May God’s Grace be with us today,” Craft tweeted.

Kentucky’s delegation in Washington also expressed grief at the tragedy.

“I am heartbroken to learn of the tragedy in Louisville this morning. Please join me in praying for the families of the victims and those currently receiving medical treatment,” Central Kentucky GOP U.S. Rep. Andy Barr said.

Senators Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul both said on Twitter that they were praying for all involved.

“Elaine and I are devastated by the news coming out of Louisville this morning. Thank you to LMPD and our first responders for your bravery at the scene. We send our prayers to the victims, their families, and the city of Louisville as we await more information,” McConnell tweeted.

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg and Beshear lauded the efforts of the Louisville Metro Police Department in responding to the event.

“Our community will continue to stand together… We will come together as a community to work to prevent these horrific acts of gun violence from continuing here and around the state,” Greenberg said.

Rep. Pam Stevenson, D-Louisville, represents the area of the shooting. Stevenson, who is also the lone Democratic nominee for attorney general this year, urged people downtown to stay inside.

©2023 Lexington Herald-Leader. Visit kentucky.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.