The Louisville gunman had told a female colleague to “get out of here” as he entered the Old National Bank Monday morning — before shooting at the woman as she fled and livestreaming his carnage.
Authorities have said that 25-year-old Connor Sturgeon legally purchased an AR-15 from a local dealer on April 4 and that he could see the weapon in his Instagram livestream as he entered his former workplace around 8:30 a.m.
While the live stream of the Old National Bank attack has not been released to the public, a city official who saw the footage described to CNN how Sturgeon told a woman at the entrance to run before he tried to shoot her.
But the rifle was unloaded and security was still on at the time.
Sturgeon quickly realized his mistake and then allegedly loaded ammunition into the assault rifle and removed the safety. He then aimed at her again, and this time successfully shot the woman in the back. It is unclear whether she survived.
Connor Sturgeon, 25, opened fire on the Old National Bank with an AR-15 he legally bought the week before
Members of the Louisville Fire Department can be seen cleaning the steps of the Old National Bank after Monday’s shooting
The livestreamed footage of the attack is said to be in police custody as they continue their investigation into the massacre.
But the unnamed city official who viewed the footage said it shows a friendly colleague wishing Sturgeon good morning as he entered the Old National Bank in his AR-15.
“You need to get out of here,” the gunman reportedly tells the woman — before attempting to shoot her in the back as she fled.
However, the attempt failed because the weapon was still unloaded with the safety on at the time.
After Sturgeon removed the safety and loaded the gun, he tried again, the official said, and shot the staff member in the back. It is unclear whether the woman survived.
The gunman then allegedly sprayed fire into the bank as frantic employees tried to avoid him.
He did not travel to any of the other, more populous floors in the building, which also houses a real estate company, during the targeted attack.
After about a minute, the official said, the gunman sat in the bank’s lobby waiting for police to arrive on the scene.
They arrived soon after and began exchanging gunfire with Sturgeon, who died at the scene. It remains unclear whether he was killed by a self-inflicted gunshot or by bank agents.
Police-carried CCTV footage of the incident is expected to be released Tuesday afternoon.
Also killed in the massacre were Thomas Elliott, 63, Joshua Barrick, 40, Juliana Farmer, 45, James Tutt, 64, and Deana Eckert, 57.
A total of eight people were injured, including rookie officer Nicholas Wilt, 26, who remains in critical condition after being shot in the head.
Thomas Elliott, 63, one of Governor Andy Beshear’s “closest” friends, died Monday morning in the mass shooting at Old National Bank in Louisville, Kentucky
Joshua Barrick, 40, a vice president of commercial real estate at the bank, was also killed by the lone gunman
Deana Eckert, 57, an executive administrative assistant at the bank, was pronounced dead Monday night
Louisville Metro police responded within three minutes of Sturgeon opening fire
Several bullet holes could be seen through the windows of the bank on Monday evening
After the massacre, there was glass on the floor outside the bank
Authorities have said that Sturgeon, who was recently fired from the bank, stormed into a conference room shortly after 8:30 a.m. with the AR-15 — about half an hour before the branch opened to the public.
He was suicidal, friends said.
Officers arrived within three minutes and found the gunman still firing, said Deputy Chief of the Louisville Police Department Paul Humphrey.
Videos posted online also showed officers on the scene running into the streets during rush hour and warning drivers to get out of their cars because there was an “active gunman.”
At least three shots were heard in the footage.
Photos showed blood spatter on the steps leading to the bank and broken glass on the floor.
Sturgeon, left, pictured with his mother, father, and younger brother, had no criminal record
On Tuesday, a man is photographed leaving a bunch of flowers on the steps outside the bank
A mourner also left a bouquet of white roses with a note at the bank
Workers in the building have described fleeing the blood-soaked scene and scrambling to the vault to hide from the killer as he rampaged through the building.
That’s what a bank employee told me WHY that they saw a man with a “long assault rifle” fire several shots near the conference room.
“He just started firing,” the unnamed employee said. ‘I didn’t see his face. We were in the conference room.
“Whoever sat next to me got shot, their blood is on me,” he added.
Another witness said they heard multiple gunshots and breaking glass from the bank after she dropped her son off at work.
“I just dropped my son off at work on River Road,” the unnamed witness said WDRB.
“I was at the traffic light and the first thing I saw was a man across the intersection and he was at the entrance of a hotel.”
At first, she said, she thought the man was just jogging, but then she noticed he was on the stairs, not the sidewalk.
Then she said she heard gunshots, with video of the scene showing at least three shots fired.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg is pictured at a news conference Tuesday, when officials announced that Sturgeon had legally purchased the gun. He is now calling for further arms control measures
Members of the Louisville Police Department talk on the steps of the Old National Bank during an investigation into the shooting
Some mourners left rose petals in the shape of a heart at the entrance to the bank
Authorities announced on Tuesday that Sturgeon had legally purchased the gun he used in the attack a week earlier.
“When I was at that intersection, gunfire erupted, about right above my head,” she said.
“I didn’t know if it was on the couch or off the couch, I took off.”
On the morning of the shooting, he also posted a series of ominous Instagram posts, including one that said, “They don’t listen to words or protests. Let’s see if they hear this.’
Sturgeon had no previous criminal history and his mother Lisa and younger brother Cameron reportedly approached police on the scene outside the bank to confirm his identity.