LOUISVILLE, Ky. — One year ago, Louisville experienced tragedy, trauma, grief and despair when a gunman opened fire at Old National Bank in downtown, killing five people and wounding several others.
On Wednesday, city and state leaders came together to honor Tommy Elliott, Jim Tutt, Josh Barrick, Juliana Farmer and Deana Eckert. The service focused on standing together, spreading love and reminding everyone that Louisville remains strong.
Rev. Kevin Gardner-Sinclair, the pastor of Broadway Baptist Church, delivered a strong message about the world, violence and the mass shooting.
"Liberate us from our obsession with weapons of warfare and set us free from the fear that forces us to believe that taller walls and stronger weapons will ever make us truly safe," Gardner-Sinclair said.
At Louisville Metro Hall, the heartfelt ceremony lasted roughly an hour-and-a-half.
Speakers included Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who loved the late Tommy Elliott dearly. His message was powerful.
"This isn't supposed to happen to people," Beshear said. "It certainly wasn't supposed to happen to [the victims] and to their family members, but I am proud of how each person in this room has offered them love and support, kindness, grace, space when people have needed it -- and try to just love these families as much as we can."
Beshear recounted the fond memories and the things that made Elliott so beloved.
"My friend Tommy always used to say, keep the faith. That's right before he said, 'Buzz me back,'" Beshear said with a smile. "Today, I'm not [OK], but with [my family's] love and support I know that I will be -- and that we all will be."
Old National Bank CEO Jim Ryan called the 2023 shooting an "unthinkable tragedy," telling families of the people who lost their lives that they "will never forget."
"We will continue to embrace you and care for you, and we'll be steadfast in honoring their memories," Ryan said.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg urged families to continue to lean on the community -- and not to shoulder the burden alone.
"Let's all live in dialogue. Let's keep telling their stories, let's keep working together," Greenberg said. "They were such good family people, such good members of our community who contributed in so many ways. They were people who deserve to be remembered, not for how they died, but for how they lived."
Maryanne Elliott, Tommy Elliott's wife, was in attendance alongside a few of the shooting survivors, including Old National Bank employee Dana Mitchell and Dallas Schwartz -- who was the first person shot that tragic day.
Schwartz told WHAS11 that on Tuesday, she and other survivors had a chance to walk back into that office building for the first time since the shooting. She said it felt like closure, and that closing that chapter of their lives provided relief.
Some people in attendance at Metro Hall for the ceremony Wednesday wore shirts with the Old National Bank logo in the shape of a heart.
As of Wednesday evening, five flowers arrangements sit on the steps of the Preston Pointe building, which used to hold Old National Bank's downtown location. In the aftermath of the shooting, the bank moved to W Market St. inside the Mercer building.
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