Kentucky is reeling in the wake of a post-Easter shooting rampage that killed four people at a bank where the gunman had been employed, according to his LinkedIn profile; two of the victims, including one of the deceased, were friends of Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.
Police identified the shooter, whom officers killed with return fire, as Connor Sturgeon, 23. His LinkedIn profile showed that he worked at Old National Bank in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, where he opened fire with a rifle around 8:30 a.m. on April 10. Police say Sturgeon livestreamed the attack on Instagram as it was occurring, but that page was taken down before authorities confirmed his identity.
Officers arrived within three minutes of the first 911 call, and authorities say their swift action and bravery saved lives.
No motive was released, but authorities called the shooting a “targeted” one, leaving four bank employees dead and wounding nine other people, including two police officers.
A rookie police officer, sworn in less than two weeks ago, Nickolas Wilt, who’s in his 20s, is among three critically wounded people who are being treated at the University of Louisville Hospital, officials said.
Wilt was shot in the head and underwent brain surgery, according to Dr. Jason Smith, the hospital’s chief medical officer.
According to LinkedIn profiles, at least three of the deceased were vice presidents of the bank: Thomas Elliott, 63; James Tutt, 64; and Joshua Barrick, 40. The fourth victim, Juliana Farmer, 57, previously had been a commercial banking agent at the bank’s branch in Evansville, Indiana, but her current role was unclear, according to her inactive LinkedIn profile.
Elliott was a friend of Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg and a “very close friend” of Beshear. The governor credited Elliott with boosting his political career while serving as a trusted confidant.
Earlier in the day, Louisville Deputy Police Chief Paul Humphrey told reporters that the shooter had a connection to the bank and that “it appears he was a previous employee.” But no additional information was given about his employment history with the bank.
He ordered flags in Kentucky to be flown at half-staff in honor of the shooting victims. He also called upon Kentuckians to respond with love and compassion to those affected by the violence.
Despite the tragedy of the day’s events and recent problems uncovered in the police department, Beshear said Louisville is a safe community and that the police had performed well in response to the shooting.
“I want people to know that while today is a horrific act, I do believe that this is a safe community, with officers doing their very best each and every day. And that’s what we saw here today,” Beshear said.
“Yes, I know that there are steps that the police department is taking to do things better after a recent report.”
The governor was referring to a March finding by the U.S. Department of Justice that the city’s police department had engaged in civil rights violations and had entered into an agreement to resolve the problem.
“But we certainly saw, I think, the very best from them,” Beshear said.
“I want to thank them and all our other law enforcement officers for responding and doing their best to try to save some of my friends and many others.”
Beshear didn’t say which of his friends was hurt but survived.
Authorities tried to shift attention away from Sturgeon, saying they wanted people to focus on the shooting victims and their families.
According to Sturgeon’s LinkedIn profile, he held a bachelor’s degree in finance and economics and a master of science from the University of Alabama, where he attended until 2020.
Representatives for the school didn’t respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.
Officials said they were unsure how or where Sturgeon obtained the rifle that was used in the shooting.
