Louisville, Kentucky’s girlfriend, bank shooter Connor Sturgeon has been identified as Kelsey Striegel, a longtime love he had been dating since high school, the DailyMail.com can reveal.
The 24-year-old was mentioned in Sturgeon’s obituary, which stated that Connor was survived by family and other loved ones, but made no mention of the horrific circumstances surrounding his death, other than stating that he had “deceased” on April 10.
However, the Sturgeon family requested “that all donations or expressions of sympathy be made to the fundraiser for Louisville Metro Police Officer Nick Witt,” who was shot in the head while responding to the massacre.
The 25-year-old was killed in a shootout with police after opening fire with an AR-15 assault rifle and massacring five colleagues at the Old National Bank branch where he worked.
Connor Sturgeon’s obituary lists his girlfriend as 24-year-old Kelsey Striegel, whom he dated since high school
Striegel, who is from New Albany, Indiana, grew up in Louisville. She graduated from Indiana University in 2021, where she studied history
Sturgeon’s family released an obituary that does not list the circumstances of his death, other than stating that he “deceased” on April 10.
“Connor was fortunate to be well loved by his girlfriend, Kelsey Striegel, as well as many friends across the country.” reads the obituary published on a local news site.
DailyMail.com can confirm that Sturgeon and Striegel had been dating since high school. Neighbors say she often stayed the night in the modest one-story house in Louisville he shared with Dallas Whelan, his college friend and roommate.
Striegel, who is from New Albany, Indiana, grew up in Louisville. She graduated from Indiana University in 2021, where she studied history.
The obituary states that Sturgeon graduated from Floyd Central High School, where he was a National Merit scholar, varsity basketball and track athlete, and “Mr. Floyd Central’ his senior year.
And it highlights the fact that he was a proud graduate of the University of Alabama, where he received the prestigious Presidential Scholarship, studied finance and economics, and earned a Master of Science degree.
“Anyone who knew Connor knew he loved (and followed) almost every sport, because he was a walking database of NBA lore, trivia, and stats,” the obituary reads. “Connor especially loved Alabama football and the Dallas Mavericks.”
It also cites his other passion, his volunteer work with Junior Achievement of Kentuckiana, a non-profit organization that has helped prepare children for life in the labor market.
A private funeral service was held for family and friends. The obituary closes with the farewell, “Roll Tide, Connor.”
“Connor was fortunate to be well loved by his girlfriend, Kelsey Striegel, as well as many friends across the country,” the obituary reads.
Connor (far right) is pictured with his parents Todd and Lisa, and his younger brother Cameron, a professional model. He sent his family and “I love you” text minutes before the shooting
Sturgeon left his roommate Dallas Whelan, (right) a chilling voicemail that he felt “suicidal” and planned to “kill everyone at the bank”
Sturgeon lived in this humble two-bedroom home in Louisville for about a year before the April 10 shooting
The mass murderer legally purchased an AR-15 assault rifle on April 4, six days before entering the bank at 8:33 a.m. on April 10, and killed Juliana Farmer, 57, Tommy Elliott, 63, Joshua Barrick, 40, James Tutt, 64, and mother of two Deana Eckert, 57.
Sturgeon was killed in a shootout with one of the two officers who arrived at the scene minutes later.
DailyMail.com exclusively revealed that Sturgeon penned a chilling 13-page manifesto describing his goals before the horror at the downtown bank, where the 25-year-old livestreamed the carnage on Instagram as he shot colleagues at their morning conference.
Sturgeon made three key points in the manifesto, now in the hands of the police: he wanted to kill himself, he wanted to prove how easy it was to buy a gun in Kentucky and he wanted to draw attention to the mental health crisis in Kentucky. America .
His family revealed that the commercial development specialist had mental health issues and was on medication.
He joined the bank in 2021, but executives reportedly lost faith in him as he struggled to fit in. However, his family’s lawyer told DailyMail.com that he would not lose his job.
His roommate Dallas Whelan, 24, had no idea his close friend was plotting the atrocity — or that he bought the gun from a local dealer, a family spokesperson told DailyMail.com.
But Whelan later received a note from Sturgeon saying he was going to open fire on the bank, a law enforcement source told CNN. The killer wrote a similar note to his parents.
In addition, Sturgeon left a chilling voicemail to Whelan that he felt “suicidal” and planned to “kill everyone at the bank,” according to a police audio message.
The audio also revealed that police were approached at the scene by Sturgeon’s mother Lisa and younger brother Cameron following the rampage.
According to the tape on the Broadcastify scanner app, an officer says, “25-year-old white male, Connor Sturgeon 6′ 4.” He texted a friend, called a friend, left a voicemail saying he’s going to kill everyone at the bank. Feeling suicidal.’
Sturgeon is depicted on surveillance footage dressed casually while holding an AR-15 rifle. According to his manifesto, the shooting was intended as a suicide mission for the gunman, who suffered from mental health issues
Police bodycam footage shows officers saying the suspect was ‘down’ after a few minutes of firing
Sturgeon’s distraught family released a statement a day later saying, “No words can express our sorrow, fear and horror at the unthinkable harm our son Connor has inflicted on innocent people, their families and the entire Louisville community.”
“We mourn their loss and that of our son, Connor. We pray for all those traumatized by his senseless acts of violence and are deeply grateful for the courage and heroism of the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department.
While Connor, like many of his contemporaries, had mental health issues that we were actively addressing as a family, there were never any warning signs or indications that he was capable of this shocking act.
“While we have many unanswered questions, we will continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement and do everything we can to help everyone understand why and how this happened.”
Sturgeon family attorney Peter Palmer told DailyMail.com that the killer was receiving professional mental health care as well as medication.
Sturgeon’s family also feared that he might be suffering from CTE as a result of his high school basketball career, where he was hit on the head so many times that he had to wear a soft helmet during games.
According to Palmer, Sturgeon had “concussions” that “have always been a concern for the family … so there’s a question in their minds that this might have played a role.”