LOUISVILLE — The skies were as clear as the tears welling up in the eyes of mourners who filled the outdoor amphitheater at the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville on Wednesday evening.
Hundreds of people gathered to honor the five people who died when Connor Sturgeon opened fire at the Old National Bank building in downtown Louisville on Monday morning.
Eight people were injured in the attack and two people remain in the hospital.
Religious leaders, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Old National Bank CEO Jim Ryan were among the people who spoke.
“There are no adequate words to describe the heartbreak our Old National family is feeling,” Ryan said. “A number of our team members are here tonight, and many others are with us livestreamed across our footprint. To all of you, please know, that we will get through this together.”
When Beshear took the podium he told the crowd he is thinking of his friend who died in the shooting and encouraged people to reach out for their loved ones.
Beshear also commended Louisville police officers for their quick action to shoot down Sturgeon.
“By now, if you can, and I struggled, you maybe watched that body camera footage that shows these heroes rushing directly in, without pause, without regard for their own safety, because they knew lives were on the line,” Beshear said. “Heroes like LMPD Officer Nickolas Wilt, who’s fighting for his very life.”
Officer Wilt was shot in the head. He underwent brain surgery Monday and is in critical but stable condition at the hospital.
It was his second week on the job.
“And officers like C.J. Galloway, who, after being hit himself, stayed until the entire scene was secured.”
Galloway, who was not seriously injured, fired the shots that killed Sturgeon.
When police released body-camera video from officers Wilt and Galloway on Tuesday, Deputy Chief Paul Humphrey said Sturgeon was waiting for police after he shot people inside the Old National Bank building.
Sturgeon is seen holding an AR-15 rifle at his side, dressed in jeans and a blue short-sleeved shirt, in an image released by Louisville police.
Authorities also released an image of Sturgeon standing between shards of glass left by doors that had been shot out.
The five people who died in the shooting are Joshua Barrick, 40; Thomas Elliot, 63; Juliana Farmer, 45; James Tutt, 64; and Deana Eckert, 57.
The nightmare of Monday’s mass shooting in downtown Louisville unfolded over the six 911 calls Louisville Metro Police made public Wednesday afternoon.
One of the calls is from the shooter’s mother.
She’s heard telling an emergency dispatcher that her son has a gun and is heading toward Old National Bank, 333 East Main St., in Louisville.
She said her son’s roommate contacted her and said Sturgeon left some kind of alarming note.
“He’s never hurt anyone, he’s a really good kid,” she said.
“We don’t even own guns, I don’t know where he would’ve gotten a gun,” she said to the emergency dispatcher.
After Sturgeon’s mother gives the details to the emergency dispatcher, she asks if she should go to the Old National Bank Building.
The dispatcher tells her not to go to the location.
“I don’t want you to go to the location,” the dispatcher said. “We have a situation that’s going on down there right now; we’ve already had calls from other people. I do not need you to go to the location at this time, OK. It’s dangerous there.”
The shooter’s mother asks if emergency dispatch has had calls from other people and if Sturgeon is already there.
“Yes, at Old National Bank on East Main Street, we have and I’m advising you not to go to the location because it is an unsafe situation and officers are already at the location, ma’am.”
Other 911 calls came from witnesses outside the bank, inside the bank and someone who watched the shooting over a video call.
The Sturgeon family released a statement late Tuesday evening.
”No words can express our sorrow, anguish, and horror at the unthinkable harm our son Connor inflicted on innocent people, their families, and the entire Louisville community,” the statement read. “…We mourn their loss and that of our son, Connor. We pray for everyone traumatized by his senseless acts of violence and are deeply grateful for the bravery and heroism of the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department.”
The statement noted that Connor Sturgeon had “mental health issues” that were being “actively” addressed.