PICTURED: Rookie cop shot in the head and critically wounded by Louisville bank gunman
The heroic rookie cop who was shot in the head while trying to stop the Louisville bank shooter had only been with the police for 10 days.
Officer Nickolas Wilt, 26, remains in critical condition at a local hospital after running to shooter Connor Sturgeon, 25, Monday to save the lives of innocent Old National Bank employees, according to the Louisville Metro Police Department.
Wilt was one of two officers who responded to the mass shooting when Sturgeon opened fire at around 8:30 a.m. – killing four and wounding eight. The shooter was also killed.
The rookie officer was shot in the head while his colleague was scraped by a bullet. It is not clear where the second officer was shot.
Wilt was transported to hospital where he is now in stable condition following brain surgery.
Nickolas Wilt, 26, was identified as the officer shot by the Louisville gunman. He graduated from the police academy 10 days ago
Wilt was shot in the head on Monday as he responded to the mass shooting. A photo of Wilt at his graduation showed him laughing next to Major Craig Greenberg of Louisville and Interim Police Chief Jacquelyn “Jackie” Gwinn-Villaroel
Wilt was sworn into police service on March 31 — 10 days before the mass shooting, police said.
A photo of Wilt at his graduation showed him smiling next to Major Craig Greenberg of Louisville and interim police chief Jacquelyn “Jackie” Gwinn-Villaroel.
“I just sworn him in and his family was there to witness his journey to becoming a police officer,” said Gwinn-Villaroel. She added that Wilt’s recovery will be crucial in the coming days.
According to a LinkedIn page that matches Wilt’s name and location, he graduated from Oldham County High School in 2016.
Wilt had been with the force since October 2022 – around the time he would likely have started the 24-week police academy program.
His extensive work history includes time with the La Grange Fire Department, Oldham County Emergency Medical Services, Oldham dispatch and Henry County EMS and the La Grange Fire Department.
A quote at the top of the LinkedIn page reads, “The day you plant the seed is not the day you eat the fruit.”
Connor Sturgeon, 25, was identified as the shooter at the Old National Bank on Monday
A photo of the swearing-in ceremony in which Wilt participated can be seen above. Police Chief Gwinn-Villaroel (far right) said the next few days will be crucial to his recovery
In March, officers were sworn into the Louisville Metro Police Department
Authorities say Sturgeon, 25, began firing into the bank with an AR-15-style assault rifle after being fired from his job as a syndication clerk and portfolio banker.
Louisville Metro police said they arrived at the 300 block of East Main Street within three minutes of the gunman opening fire and found him still with bullets when they arrived.
Videos of the shooting posted online showed officers on the scene rushing into the streets during rush hour Monday, warning drivers to get out of their cars because there is an “active gunman.”
During the shooting, police scanners overheard Sturgeon being “suicidal,” texting a friend that he was going to “shoot the bank” and leaving a note for his parents informing them of his intention to attack his workplace. CNN reports.
Police also confirmed that Sturgeon livestreamed the shooting on his Instagram, which has since been deleted and is now in police custody.
Sturgeon was also killed in the shooting, but it is unclear whether he died from a self-inflicted wound or from injuries sustained when he exchanged gunfire with officers at the scene.
The victims have been identified as Joshua Barrick, 40; Thomas Elliott, 63; Juliana Boer, 45; and James Tutt, 64.
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. James ‘Jim’ Tutt, 64, was a Market Executive at Old National Bank who was killed Monday morning
Juliana Farmer, 57, a mother and grandmother were also killed in the shooting
Witnesses have said the alleged gunman was carrying a “long assault rifle” when he fired several shots near the conference room near the bank.
“He just started firing,” an unnamed employee said WHY . ‘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 had just dropped my son off at work on River Road,” an anonymous 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.
“As I was sitting 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.”
“When I turned around, I saw that one of the windows in the bank had blown out.”
She then said she saw police vehicles moving towards the area.
“They came from everywhere,” she said. “The police came out of their cars with black guns.”
“I just dove into my car and waited there.”