Five people were killed after an employee opened fire at a bank in Louisville, Kentucky, then livestreamed the crime on Instagram, according to police.
The victims ranged in age from 40 to 64 years. A rookie police officer who had just graduated from the force two weeks before was among the nine others hurt.
The officer was shot in the head and is remains in serious condition after brain surgery. Within three minutes, police arrived and fatally shot the attacker in an exchange of gunfire.
The gunshot occurred about 08:30 a.m. local time at the Old National Bank in the city center (12:30 GMT).
Caleb Goodlett informed local reporters that his wife, a bank employee, had locked herself inside the vault when the attack began.
Several witnesses described seeing the gunfire between police officers and the lone attacker.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear stated a “amazing friend” of his, Tommy Elliot, a senior vice-president at the bank, was among the victims.
“Tommy Elliott helped me grow my law career, helped me become governor, and gave me guidance on being a good father,” Mr Beshear added.
The following people have been identified as victims:
Thomas Elliot, 63
James Tutt, 64
Joshua Barrick, 40
Julianna Farmer, 45
Deana Eckert, 57
What we know about the Kentucky bank shooting victims
Louisville Metro officer Nickolas Wilt, 26, was shot in the head.
Mr Wilt graduated from the training on March 31, according to City Councilman Anthony Piagentini, and his brother is currently enrolled in the police academy.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg described the shooting as “an ugly act of targeted brutality.” The mayor stated that he had recently been the victim of a firearms attack.
Last year, he was fired at by a mentally unstable individual who broke into his campaign headquarters.
According to two survivors, the shooting started in a ground-floor conference room inside the bank on Monday.
“Whoever was close to me got shot – blood on me from it,” one man stated, pointing to his shirt.
The suspect was identified as 25-year-old Connor Sturgeon, who police said used an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle throughout the incident and was live-streaming the shooting online.
“It’s awful to know that that act was out there and captured,” said Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel.
Instagram’s owner, Meta, stated that it “immediately removed the livestream of this unfortunate tragedy this morning.”
According to his web profile, the attacker works as a syndications associate and portfolio banker at Old National Bank. He became a full-time job at the company last year after interning there for three summers.
According to officials, he had no prior interactions with law enforcement.
According to US media, he was recently informed by the bank that he would be dismissed and had prepared a note explaining his preparations for the mass shooting before reporting to work on Monday.
According to data maintained by the Gun Violence Archive, there have been at least 146 mass shootings – defined as those in which at least four people were shot – thus far in 2023, including at least 15 since April began.
President Joe Biden requested that Congress approve gun control legislation on Monday, writing, “Too many Americans are paying the price of inaction with their lives.”
Kentucky is one of 26 states that allow most adults over the age of 21 to buy and carry a handgun without a license.
