The parents of Louisville bank shooter Connor Sturgeon, who shot and killed five people at the branch where he worked, say their son told his roommate about the plans he had to carry out the rampage.
“He did this to totally innocent individuals. There was no provocation, there was no justification, there was no rationalization at all,” said his mother Lisa Sturgeon. “They were just trying to do their jobs and provide for their families.”
Todd and Lisa Sturgeon broke their silence in a Today show interview that aired Thursday, more than a week after their 25-year-old son livestreamed the massacre as he shot his colleagues at the Old National Bank downtown on April 10.
Lisa was stunned when she received a call from her son’s roommate telling her that Connor said he was going to “shoot the bank” and informing him of his manifesto revealing how to buy a gun despite his recent mental health . therapy.
The tragedy occurred just 14 days after a 28-year-old shot and killed six people at a Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee.
Sturgeon is depicted on surveillance footage dressed casually while holding an AR-15 rifle. According to his manifesto, the shooting was also intended as a suicide mission for the gunman, who suffered from mental health issues.
Former Old National Bank employee Connor Sturgeon, 25, listed his three targets for his deadly April 10 massacre in a 13-page manifesto, DailyMail.com can reveal
Cooling 13-page manifesto left behind described Connor’s goals before the horrific tragedy. It also revealed that he was able to purchase a gun and ammunition despite receiving treatment for mental health issues.
“Unbelievable, this is impossible,” Lisa said, adding that she told the roommate, “Please stop him.”
Sturgeon made three key points in the manifesto, which is held by 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 a mental health crisis in America .
Lisa and Todd told Savannah Guthrie of NBC News that they saw no signs that anything could be wrong or that he was capable of any kind of violence.
“We had no real indications that something like this could have happened,” said Lisa Sturgeon. “There was no clear indication.”
The mass murderer legally purchased an AR-15 assault rifle on April 4, six days before entering the bank at 8:33 a.m., where he was met by a friendly female colleague at the entrance. He told her ‘you need to get out of here’ before trying to shoot her.
But the weapon was not loaded and the safety catch was on. He then loaded the rifle, disabled the safety and shot the fleeing woman in the back.
It is not known if she was among the dead. They have been named as Juliana Farmer, 57, Tommy Elliott, 63, Joshua Barrick, 40, James Tutt, 64, and mother-of-two Deana Eckert, 57.
“It would have been bad enough if we had just lost our son,” said Lisa Sturgeon. “But for him to take others — with him — it’s just — it’s beyond what we’ve taught him, the way we live. We always say do no harm. He didn’t.’
As for what they would tell the victims’ families if they had the chance, they said, “We’re so sorry. We are heartbroken. We wish we could undo it, but we know we can’t.’
Connor got his suicide wish as stated in the manifesto when he was killed in a gunfire with one of the two officers arriving at the scene minutes later.
How many shootings have there been this calendar year? It’s happened to other people like us, and we keep letting it happen, and we need to fix that,” Lisa said.
Thomas Elliott (left) 63, one of Governor Andy Beshear’s “closest” friends, died in the mass shooting at Old National Bank in Louisville, Kentucky. Also killed was James ‘Jim’ Tutt (right) 64, a marketing executive at the bank
Deana Eckert, 57, an executive administrative assistant at the bank, was killed in the shooting
Joshua Barrick, 40, a vice president of commercial real estate at the bank, was also killed by the lone gunman, as was Juliana Farmer, 45
Sturgeon’s family revealed that the commercial development specialist had mental health problems 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.
However, in conversations with bosses, the University of Alabama graduate financier purchased the AR-15 in a state that does not require any type of firearms license for eligible adults.
In addition, there are no laws in Kentucky that prohibit residents from purchasing a gun if they have mental disorders, convictions for violent misdemeanors, domestic violence-related restraining orders, or someone with substance abuse.
Under another law in Kentucky, the firearm will now be auctioned off to the public by state police, effectively returning it to circulation.
Sturgeon joined the bank in 2021 but executives reportedly lost faith in him as he struggled to fit in and reportedly decided to let him go, but his family’s lawyer denies that
The family responded to the policy in a statement shared to DailyMail.com on Thursday: “The Sturgeon family was dismayed to learn that Kentucky law required the assault rifle used in last week’s horrific event to be auctioned at public auction. sell to the highest bidder.
The family is working vigorously with the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) and the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) to ensure that the assault rifle is legally destroyed and the first step in this process took place Monday. , when ATF took possession of the assault rifle. We sincerely appreciate the assistance of both LMPD and ATF in this regard.
“This tragedy is yet another indication that meaningful, common-sense gun safety measures need to be taken. We respectfully urge the Kentucky Legislature to take the lead in amending Kentucky law and removing the provision for gun auctions.”