How Louisville bank massacre unfolded: Connor Sturgeon, 25, shot fleeing woman at the entrance, then opened fire in conference room before returning to lobby for doomed battle with cops
- Connor Sturgeon, 25, was seen entering the Old National Bank on East Main Street in Louisville at 8.33am with his AR-15 in hand
- He allegedly shot a fleeing woman at the entrance before making his way through the bank and killing five people
- Following his barrage, Sturgeon is said to have waited in the lobby for police to arrive
DailyMail.com has recreated the path a 25-year-old gunman took Monday morning as he slaughtered five of his colleagues and injured eight others.
Connor Sturgeon, 25, was seen entering the Old National Bank on East Main Street in Louisville at 8.33am with his legally-purchased AR-15 in hand.
He then allegedly told a woman near the front entrance to run, but shot her in the back as she tried to flee. It remains unclear whether she died from the wounds.
At that point, officials said, Sturgeon made his way to a conference room in the back of the bank to finish off his massacre.
Once that was done, authorities have said, he made his way back to the lobby where he waited for a minute and a half for cops to arrive on the scene.
When they finally did, officers immediately exchanged gunfire with the shooter, and by 8.45am, Sturgeon was ‘neutralized.’
Connor Sturgeon, 25, was identified as the lone gunman in an attack at the Old National Bank Monday morning that killed five people and injured eight others
The gunman livestreamed the entire event on Instagram. The video has not been released to the public, but a city official with knowledge of the investigation described to CNN how a friendly colleague wished Sturgeon a good morning before he started firing.
‘You need to get out of here,’ the gunman reportedly tells the woman — before trying to shoot her in the back as she fled.
The attempt, though, failed because the weapon was still unloaded at the time with its safety on.
Once Sturgeon took the safety off and loaded the gun, the official said, he tried again and shot the staff member in the back. It is unclear if the woman survived.
The shooter then allegedly proceeded to spray fire inside the bank as frantic employees tried to to outrun him.
By around 8.38am, police have said, they started receiving calls about an ‘active shooter’ at the location.
Authorities say Sturgeon did not travel to any of the other more populated floors in the building, which also houses a real estate firm, during the targeted attack.
After just about one minute, the city official said, Sturgeon returned to the lobby and waited 90 seconds for police to arrive.
They came on the scene at 8.41am, and immediately started exchanging gunfire with Sturgeon.
Within just three minutes, authorities said Sturgeon was ‘neutralized.’
It remains unclear whether he died of a gunshot wound he sustained during the shootout with cops, or of a self-inflicted wound.
Also killed in the massacre were Thomas Elliott, 63, Joshua Barrick, 40, Juliana Farmer, 45, James Tutt, 64, and Deana Eckert, 57.
A total of eight people were injured, including rookie cop Nicholas Wilt, 26, who remains in critical condition after being shot in the head.
Thomas Elliott, 63, one of Governor Andy Beshear’s ‘closest’ friends, died Monday morning in the mass shooting at Old National Bank in Louisville, Kentucky. Also killed was James ‘Jim’ Tutt, 64, a marketing executive at the bank
Joshua Barrick, 40, a vice president of commercial real estate at the bank, was also killed by the lone gunman, as was Juliana Farmer, 45
Deana Eckert, 57, an executive administrative officer at the bank, was declared dead on Monday evening
Videos posted online in the aftermath showed officers at the scene running out into the street during rush hour traffic and warning drivers to get out of their cars because there was an ‘active shooter.’
At least three gunshots could be heard in the footage.
Photos showed blood splattered on the steps leading up to the bank, and broken glass on the ground.
Workers inside the building have since described how they fled from the blood-soaked scene and scrambled to the vault to hide from the killer as he rampaged through the building.
One bank employee told WHAS that they saw a man with a ‘long assault rifle’ fire multiple shots near the conference room.
‘He just started firing,’ the unnamed employee said. ‘I didn’t see his face. We were in the conference room.
But a manager told how she witnessed her colleagues being murdered live on a Microsoft Teams session.
Rebecca Buchheit-Sims said her meeting was already in progress by the time Sturgeon entered the room.
‘I’m just in shock and was in disbelief as I watched it unravel,’ she told CNN, adding it ‘happened very quickly.’
She said she did not work with Sturgeon, but knew him because his father was her son’s high school basketball coach — and her husband was an assistant coach.
The bank manager described Sturgeon as someone with ‘just kind of a monotone personality.’
‘His temperament is pretty low-key. I’ve never seen the kid get angry or upset about anything in public,’ she said. ‘He was pretty much just relaxed.’
Buchheit-Sims said she was unaware of any threats or issues, but noted that Sturgeon was ‘extremely intelligent.’
Louisville Metro police are pictured outside the bank Monday morning as an investigation was underway
Authorities have said they arrived on the scene within just three minutes of getting a call about an active shooter
The gunman had apparently been planning out his attack, leaving his parents a note informing them of his intentions and buying the AR-15 one week prior.
He also reportedly texted a friend that he would ‘shoot up the bank.’
And in the hours before he stormed the building, Sturgeon made a series of ominous Instagram posts including one that said: ‘They won’t listen to words or protests. Let’s see if they hear this.’
Sturgeon had no previous criminal history, and his mother Lisa and younger brother Cameron were said to have approached police at the scene outside the bank to confirm his identity.
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