LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Editor's note: This story contains detailed accounts of mass murder and language some readers may find disturbing.
New information revealed in the investigation into the Old National Bank shooting in Louisville sheds more light on what may have driven a man to shoot and kill his colleagues in April.
Connor Sturgeon, 25, shot and killed five bank employees in downtown Louisville on April 10, 2023. The victims were Thomas Elliot, James Tutt, Juliana Farmer, Joshua Barrick and Judy Eckert.
A rookie police officer, Nikolas Wilt, was also critically injured by the gunman. After months of recovery, he was released from the hospital in July.
On Tuesday, Louisville Metro Police officially closed the investigation and released their findings to the public.
What we learned
Included in the 64-page report were letters to family and friends explaining what drove him to commit the crime and how he wanted to make a statement.
Authorities found multiple disturbing social media posts and photos on Sturgeon's phone. LMPD also discovered multiple notebooks where Sturgeon wrote daily "diaries" about his unhappiness with his job direction, society, and political issues.
In one letter, Sturgeon writes: “This country and its politicians have decided that money is more valuable than lives. Let’s see if that changes once the fat cats start feeling the pain. They won’t listen to words or protests, so let’s see if they listen to bullets.”
There were also bizarre rants about the “corrupt Supreme Court”, climate change, the National Rifle Association’s “lobbyist dollars” and a reference to Linkin Park’s “Lost."
Sturgeon’s family publicly revealed on April 27, he was experiencing declining mental health and had attempted suicide in 2022. The family told investigators he had been in “active therapy” and was on “various medications.” However, on Easter Sunday when the gunman spent time with family, they didn’t notice any signs anything was wrong.
The file also addressed concerns from the gunman's parents about chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). It's the results of multiple, repeated head injuries.
Sturgeon's family said he had three "concussions of significance" in middle and high school, and had requested the state medical examiner look to see if CTE was a factor.
After an exam from the Mayo Clinic, the investigative file said "consultation with the medical experts involved with the examination of the brain determined CTE was not present."
‘Psychopaths like me’
In his letter left to his mother and father, Sturgeon said he had struggled with the “pressure of life” and “the expectations,” and he felt like there was nothing to work toward.
He also described how easy it was for him to purchase an AR-15 just days before the shooting.
"OH MY GOD THIS IS SO EASY," the gunman wrote. "Seriously, I knew it would be doable but this is ridiculous. Walked in and bought a gun, 4 mags, and 120 rounds for $700."
He mocked Kentucky’s gun laws and thanked the NRA for their "lobbying dollars" and said they were "the one who made all this possible."
"All I had to do was lie that a friend got his house broken into, check some boxes that I hadn't been institutionalized (false) or would use it for violence (also false)."
Sturgeon called himself a "psycho," telling his parents to fight lawmakers on lax gun laws and asking them to "do what you can to help others and stop the sale of WMD's to psychopaths like me."
The night before the shooting, Sturgeon wrote another letter saying he was "tired of fighting" and was "never going to reach anywhere near my full potential."
In the end, Sturgeon said he had two goals – kill himself and “stop gun violence to send a message to politicians.”
Read LMPD's full investigation report below.
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Incident background
The shooting happened on the first floor of the Old National Bank building on East Main Street on April 10.
Bank employees were inside a conference room for a scheduled meeting when the shooting began. The shooter live streamed the incident on Instagram until he was shot and killed by LMPD officers.
On Tuesday, LMPD announced the officer who killed Sturgeon, Officer Cory Galloway, has been cleared of any criminal wrongdoing and his actions were justified.
Sturgeon used an AR-15-style rifle he legally purchased six days before the shooting. Five people were killed and eight others were injured.
Victims' families are now planning to sue the rifle maker. Attorney Tad Thomas said they were waiting for the full report to be released.
"We want to hold these manufacturers responsible for how they market their products, and we want to find a way to keep these weapons out of the hands of people who are in dark days, mentally, and prevent these mass shootings from happening as they are all over the country," Thomas said.
Attorneys release statement
Thomas Law Offices and Romanucci & Blandin released a statement late Tuesday on behalf of the survivors and loved ones.
"The release of the police report on the Old National Bank mass shooting is an important step for those personally impacted by the tragedy as well as for the community. Our legal team will promptly review this report in detail as we move forward preparing for civil litigation in this matter. Most importantly, our hearts are with our clients this week as they process this painful report, while many of them have an empty seat at their Thanksgiving table or they reflect on the deep trauma they have experienced this year."
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