1/4
Louisville residents lay flowers at the steps of the Old National Bank building after Monday’s mass shooting. The 911 calls released Wednesday reveal audio of frantic witnesses and the gunman’s mother during the shooting. Photo by John Sommers II/UPI |
License Photo
April 12 (UPI) — Frantic 911 calls from witnesses to the Louisville bank mass shooting, including from those trapped inside the bank and the mother of the suspected gunman, were released Wednesday.
The calls reveal how police first learned about Monday’s attack, which killed five people and injured eight, including an officer who is fighting for his life after being shot in the head.
The Louisville Metro Police Department released twelve 911 calls Wednesday and announced it would not be releasing any more.
According to audio from one of the calls, 911 dispatch first learned about the attack Monday morning from a woman who had been in a virtual meeting with fellow employees at Old National Bank.
“Oh my God, there’s an active shooter there,” the woman tells 911. “I just watched it on a Teams meeting. We were having a board meeting with our commercial team.”
The 911 operator then asks for more information on the shooter and for the address of the bank. “We do have everybody responding. We’re getting them out there,” the operator said.
“White man, dark hair. He had khakis on, maybe, he had a rifle, gun,” the woman said. “We heard multiple shots and everybody started saying, ‘Oh, my God, that man, he came into the board room.'”
The 25-year-old suspected gunman, Connor Sturgeon, opened fire Monday morning at the Old National Bank branch where he worked before being shot dead by police.
Other 911 calls, released by police, came from employees inside the bank building.
“We have an active shooter in our building,” a male caller said as he identified the shooter as “an employee of Old National Bank.”
“Get here now! We need somebody now!” he said.
“We are on the 4th floor. We are trying to get the status of what’s going on,” another caller told 911. “We’re tucked under a desk right now.”
The operator tells the caller to stay hidden and keep all doors locked, adding “officers may be coming toward that area and they will be announcing themselves as officers.”
More 911 calls reveal what witnesses saw outside of the bank during the shooting.
“I just wanted to make sure you understood that there was an officer down,” a witness tells a 911 dispatcher. “There are several officers here now, but one hasn’t moved since he’s been shot. Two have been shot at,” the caller said.
I’ve been watching him consistently, I haven’t seen a foot or anything moving,” the caller added. “He went down right away when the bullets started firing.”
Officer Nickolas Wilt, who had graduated from the Louisville Metro Police Department Academy 10 days earlier, was shot in the head as he ran toward the gunfire. He remains in critical condition after undergoing brain surgery Monday.
A bullet grazed Wilt’s field trainer, Cory Galloway, who took cover behind a large planter before firing the round that killed Sturgeon.
In another 911 call, a woman tells the operator that her son may be heading to the bank with a gun.
“He apparently left a note,” Sturgeon’s mother says. “I don’t know what to do, I need your help. He’s never hurt anyone. He’s a really good kid. Please don’t punish him.”
The gunman’s mother then asks whether she should go to the bank to which the operator responds that police officers are already there.
“You’ve had calls from other people?” she asks in tears. “So they’re already there?”
The operator says “Yes. It is an unsafe situation.”
As the city of Louisville holds a vigil Wednesday evening to honor the five victims of the shooting, the gunman’s family released 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,” the statement read.
“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.”