Connor Sturgeon: What we all know in regards to the gunman who opened fireplace at a Louisville financial institution

(CNN) A 25-year-old financial institution worker in Louisville, Kentucky, knew he was going to be fired and wrote a be aware to family members earlier than heading to his job Monday morning and opening fireplace — killing 5 folks and injuring eight others, in keeping with a regulation enforcement supply conversant in the investigation.

The gunman, recognized as Connor Sturgeon, began his assault round 8:30 a.m. at Previous Nationwide Financial institution in downtown, authorities stated. He opened fireplace as some staff met for a morning assembly earlier than the financial institution was open to the general public. Rebecca Buchheit-Sims, a supervisor on the financial institution, instructed CNN she watched the assembly nearly and witnessed her coworkers being slain.

Buchheit-Sims described Sturgeon as “extraordinarily clever” and others who knew him instructed CNN they had been shocked to see the violence, which launched a large police response within the coronary heart of one in every of America’s most populated cities. However prior writings by the gunman point out he struggled to slot in earlier than he joined the workforce at Previous Nationwide Financial institution and was getting ready to being terminated when he entered the financial institution with a rifle.

Sturgeon had labored on the financial institution for greater than a yr, in keeping with his LinkedIn profile. He livestreamed his assault on Instagram, a video that has since been faraway from the platform.

Louisville Metro Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel stated he didn’t have “any prior engagement” with police.

A search warrant was executed at Sturgeon’s house Monday, Gwinn-Villaroel stated in an interview with CNN Tuesday morning, noting she hopes objects that had been recovered will assist make clear a motive.

She didn’t say whether or not another warrants had been executed as a part of the investigation.

The 5 victims, all between the ages of 40 and 64, had been recognized as Joshua Barrick, Juliana Farmer, Tommy Elliott, Deana Eckert and James Tutt, police stated. Gov. Andy Beshear stated Elliott, a senior vice chairman on the financial institution, was one in every of his closest mates.

Eight others had been injured, together with Nickolas Wilt, a 26-year-old police officer who graduated from the police academy simply 10 days in the past. Wilt was shot within the head throughout a confrontation with Sturgeon on Monday morning and was taken to the hospital the place he underwent mind surgical procedure, stated Gwinn-Villaroel.

Shooter wrote a be aware earlier than assault

Sturgeon wrote a be aware to his mother and father and a buddy indicating that he was going to open fireplace within the financial institution, the regulation enforcement supply stated.

It isn’t clear whether or not that be aware was on paper or emailed, or whether or not it was seen earlier than the incident or after, in keeping with the supply.

Sturgeon wrote on his LinkedIn profile that he interned at Previous Nationwide Financial institution in Louisville for 3 consecutive summers between 2018 and 2020 earlier than becoming a member of full time in June 2021.

Gunman was stay streaming throughout rampage

The taking pictures was live-streamed on Instagram and has since been taken down. Police are in possession of the video, in keeping with the regulation enforcement supply.

Earlier on Monday, Gwinn-Villaroel stated police had been “hopeful” they may get the footage from the livestream taken offline.

“I’ll say this, that the suspect was stay streaming. And sadly, that is tragic. To know that that incident was on the market and captured,” Gwinn-Villaroel stated.

Buchheit-Sims, a supervisor on the financial institution, instructed CNN Sturgeon had a “monotone character. His temperament is fairly low key. I’ve by no means seen the child get offended or upset about something in public. He was just about simply relaxed.”

Buchheit-Sims stated she did not know something in regards to the shooter having any grievances or beforehand making any threats. She recalled him as “extraordinarily clever.”

Shooter did not present pink flags, classmate says

Sturgeon graduated from the College of Alabama in December 2020, in keeping with a spokesperson for the college. He participated in an accelerated grasp’s program and earned each his bachelor’s diploma and a grasp’s diploma in finance on the similar time, the spokesperson, Shane Dorrill, stated.

Earlier, Sturgeon performed basketball and ran monitor for his highschool in a Louisville suburb, and he was named a semifinalist for a Nationwide Benefit Scholarship in 2015, in keeping with native information studies.

A former highschool classmate of Sturgeon’s who knew him and his household effectively stated he by no means noticed any “type of pink flag or sign that this might ever occur.”

“It is a complete shock. He was a very good child who got here from a very good household,” stated the classmate, who requested to not be recognized and has not spoken with Sturgeon in recent times. “I can not even say how a lot this does not make sense. I can not consider it.”

Gunman wrote about issue becoming in

In a 2018 faculty essay posted to the web site CourseHero, a consumer recognized as a College of Alabama pupil named Connor Sturgeon wrote that he had had bother becoming in in school.

“My vanity has lengthy been an issue for me,” the essay learn. “As a late bloomer in center and highschool, I struggled to a sure extent to slot in, and this has given me a considerably unfavorable self-image that persists at present. Making mates has by no means been particularly simple, so I’ve extra expertise than most in working alone.”

The writer wrote that in faculty, he had “begun to mature socially and am starting to see enchancment on this space,” and that he hoped to “be extra self-aware and begin turning into a ‘higher’ individual.”

The gunman’s father, Todd Sturgeon, was head coach of the boys’s basketball workforce on the College of Indianapolis for 10 years and later coached basketball and taught US historical past at his son’s highschool, in keeping with information studies and his LinkedIn profile.

A 2007 story revealed by Todd Sturgeon’s alma mater, DePauw College, quoted an Indianapolis Star article about his retirement from the College of Indianapolis that yr, by which he stated his son Connor impressed him to step down from the workforce.

“Todd Sturgeon stated he was watching his son, Connor, at a basketball camp lately when he had a realization: Perhaps he’d quite have extra time to spend together with his personal sons than different folks’s,” the article stated.

CNN’s Eric Levenson, Kristina Sgueglia, Celina Tebor and John Miller contributed to this report.