LOUISVILLE – The parents of the 25-year-old bank employee who killed five people in a hail of bullets say they can't explain how the son voted "Mr. Floyd Central High" seven years ago turned into a brutal killer.
The family of Connor Sturgeon said late Tuesday that he had "mental health challenges" but that there were never any warning signs he was capable of what police described as the targeted shooting of Old National Bank colleagues gathered for a meeting Monday morning.
The victims have been identified as Joshua Barrick, 40, Thomas Elliot, 63, Juliana Farmer, 45, James Tutt, 64, and Deana Eckert, 57.
Tapes of 911 calls will be released soon, authorities said. Body camera video from the first two police officers who responded shows them taking fire in what Deputy Police Chief Paul Humphrey described as an "ambush."
INTENSE VIDEO:Louisville shooting updates: Body camera video shows officers fired at in gunman's 'ambush'
Latest developments:
►Officer Cory Galloway, who was grazed in his left side, fired the round that took down the assailant.
►The killer left a note behind and told at least one person he was suicidal, U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey said.
Impromptu memorial to victims emerges outside bank
The steps outside of Old National Bank have been transformed into a somber memorial crowded with flowers. White crosses with blue hearts bear the names of the victims. Kett Ketterer, who works nearby at KD & Company wholesale flower company, unloading more than a dozen potted Easter lilies.
"I think everybody's just in shock, and you have to have some way to express yourself in your grief," he said. "And I'm trying to understand, it just doesn't make sense."
Andrew Thuita came to the memorial because his girlfriend works nearby downtown. She was safe, but he's been too close to tragedy before. In 2018, he’d gone shopping at the Jeffersontown Kroger on the same day two people were shot and killed.
"Another statistic in America," Thuita said. "There is something wrong."
– Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal
Timeline for a tragedy
Sturgeon made a number of posts on his now deleted Instagram account shortly before the rampage began. Among them: "They won't listen to words or protests. Let's see if they hear this." Sturgeon, armed with an AR-15 rifle, then livestreamed his assault.
Louisville Deputy Chief Paul Humphrey said the first 911 call came in at 8:38 and officers were dispatched to the scene. Officers Nickolas Wilt and Cory Galloway arrived at the entrance to the bank three minutes later and were met with gunfire that forced them to back up the vehicle. One minute later they get out of the car, and two minutes after that Wilt is shot and officers return fire.
At 8:45 a.m, after a burst of gunfire, officers enter the bank and confirm the suspect is down. Sturgeon died at the scene.
Wilt remained in critical condition Tuesday after undergoing brain surgery Monday. Galloway was grazed on his left side.
Family statement mourns loss of son, his victims
"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 family said in a statement. "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.
"While Connor, like many of his contemporaries, had mental health challenges which we, as a family, were actively addressing, there were never any warning signs or indications he was capable of this shocking act. While we have many unanswered questions, we will continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement officials and do all we can to aid everyone in understanding why and how this happened."
A star athlete with negative self-image
Sturgeon grew up in Southern Indiana and graduated from Floyd Central High School, about 12 miles northwest of Louisville. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Alabama, an Alabama spokesperson confirmed.
At Floyd Central, he played basketball for his father, Todd Sturgeon, who was the head coach. The younger Sturgeon was named “Mr. Floyd Central” in 2016 as a senior.
A former friend and teammate at Floyd Central told The Daily Beast this week that he was “smart, popular and a star athlete.”
But in a 2018 college essay at the University of Alabama, Sturgeon wrote, “My self-esteem has long been a problem for me” and as a “late bloomer in middle and high school, I struggled to a certain extent to fit in, and this has given me a somewhat negative self-image that persists today.” The essay was posted to a website called “CourseHero,” CNN and The Daily Beast reported, but it has since been taken down.
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