The 25-year-old man who opened fire Monday at a bank in downtown Louisville, Ky., killing five people, told at least one person that he was suicidal before the rampage and legally purchased the AR-15-style rifle used in the shooting at a local dealership last week, officials said Tuesday morning.
Speaking at a news briefing, the officials also said they had carried out a search warrant at the home of the gunman, who died in an exchange of gunfire with police, and recovered several items. The police said they would release body camera footage on Tuesday afternoon from officers who responded to the shooting.
“We know he left a note,” Representative Morgan McGarvey, a Democrat whose district includes Louisville, said of the gunman at the briefing. “We know he texted or called at least one person to let them know he was suicidal and contemplating harm.”
Four victims remained hospitalized on Tuesday, said Dr. Jason Smith, the chief medical officer at University of Louisville Health. Two of those people, including Officer Nickolas Wilt, 26, who had recently graduated from the police academy and was working his fourth shift as a police officer when he responded to the shooting, remained in critical condition. Four other people who had been wounded have been released from the hospital, while another who had initially survived the shooting, Deana Eckert, 57, died overnight.
The other victims, all employees of Old National Bank like Ms. Eckert, were Joshua Barrick, 40; Thomas Elliott, 63; Juliana Farmer, 45; and James Tutt, 64.
Mayor Craig Greenberg of Louisville, a Democrat, praised the quick response from the Red Cross, which provided 170 units of blood to treat victims on Monday. Noting the enormous amount of blood needed to treat gunshot wounds, Mayor Greenberg urged residents of Louisville to donate blood.
Police have identified the gunman as Connor Sturgeon, who listed his profession as a “syndications associate and portfolio banker” at Old National Bank on his LinkedIn page.
