Louisville shooting: Killer wanted to show ease of purchasing guns, manifesto states
Rachel Schilke
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The shooter in the Old National Bank spree in Louisville, Kentucky, wrote a 13-page manifesto in which he detailed three reasons for the incident that claimed the lives of five people.
Connor Sturgeon, 23, was an Old National Bank employee. He brought an AR-15 rifle to the bank, killed five of his colleagues, and wounded several others. He was killed after engaging in gunfire with two responding officers, one of whom was shot in the head by Sturgeon.
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A 13-page manifesto written by Sturgeon described three key points: He wanted to prove how easy it was to buy a gun in Kentucky, he wanted to highlight the mental health crisis, and he wanted to die by suicide.
Sturgeon used an AR-15 that was legally purchased on April 4 from a local dealership, Louisville Metro Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel said. In Kentucky, there are no laws requiring firearm permits for adults, and there are no red-flag laws that prevent residents with mental health disorders, violent misdemeanor convictions, domestic abuse-related restraining orders, or anyone with substance abuse disorders from purchasing a gun.
Sturgeon, who was a syndications associate and portfolio banker for Old National Bank, had depression and a history of anxiety and was receiving medication and professional care. He joined the bank in 2021 and was not in danger of losing his job, despite executives losing confidence in him, Peter Palmer, attorney for the Sturgeon family, said.
The family released a statement saying it was “aghast” after learning that, under state law, the rifle that Sturgeon used will be auctioned off to the public by state police.
“The family, in conjunction with the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) and the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), is working vigorously to ensure the assault rifle is legally destroyed and the first step in this process occurred Monday, when ATF took possession of the assault rifle,” the family said in a statement to the Daily Mail on Thursday. “We genuinely appreciate the assistance of both LMPD and ATF in this regard.”
“This tragedy is yet another indication that meaningful, common sense gun safety measures must be enacted. We respectfully urge the Kentucky state legislature to lead the way by changing Kentucky law to remove the gun auction provision,” the statement continued.
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Joshua Barrick, 40, Deana Eckert, 57, Thomas Elliott, 63, Juliana Farmer, 45, and James Tutt, 64, were killed during the shooting spree.
Sturgeon critically injured officer Nickolas Wilt, 26, who had just graduated from a police training academy and was on his fourth shift as an officer. Wilt and two other officers responded to the active shooting incident, and Wilt was shot in the head. He is still in critical condition.