LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The gun used in the Old National Bank mass shooting in downtown Louisville will be destroyed.
It's a move both victims and the shooter's family asked for.
On April 10, 2023, 25-year-old Connor Sturgeon used an AR-15 style rifle to kill five people and injure eight others, including two police officers.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) seized the firearm for their investigation into the shooting. Now that it's complete, the destruction of the rifle was authorized.
Special Agent Cassandra Mullins, with ATF, said the gun was forfeited to the federal government.
"The firearm, like all firearms forfeited in ATF investigations, was authorized for destruction and has been transferred to ATF’s National Destruction Branch to be destroyed," Mullins said.
In a statement last spring, the Sturgeon family's lawyer, Pete Palmer, said they're working with ATF to ensure the assault rifle is legally destroyed. However, there was a chance the gun could have been sold at auction.
After ATF completed it's investigation, the agency could have sent the gun to Kentucky State Police (KSP). According to Kentucky law, all guns confiscated by a state or local law enforcement agency, including those used in crimes, are required to be turned over to KSP. KSP then sells those guns to federally licensed firearms dealers at public auctions.
There's now new legislation looking to require KSP to destroy guns used in violent crimes. Senate Bill 178 would allow the destruction of confiscated firearms used in violent offenses, but the measure hasn't seen much movement. It's been in committee for the last month.
ATF said the firearm is scheduled to be destroyed no later than March 15.
Mullins said ATF’s investigation has been completed and the case is pending closure upon completion of final administrative requirements.
Survivors of the shooting are suing the gun shop where the gunman purchased the firearm used in the tragedy. The lawsuit, filed Jan. 22 on behalf of four survivors, plus the wives of two of the victims, accuses River City Firearms of ignoring red flags when it sold a rifle Sturgeon days before the shooting.
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