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Louisville shooting live updates: Suspect had AR-15, death toll climbs to five

April 11, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(LOUISVILLE, Ky.) — Five people were killed and eight others were injured in a mass shooting at a bank in Kentucky’s largest city on Monday morning, according to police.

The suspect was killed by officers responding to the scene at Old National Bank in Louisville, police said.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Apr 11, 8:08 AM EDT
Suspect was armed with AR-15, mayor says

The alleged gunman in Monday’s mass shooting at a Louisville bank was wielding an AR-15 when he was gunned down by police, according to Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg.

Craig revealed the detail during an interview with CBS News on Tuesday morning.

Apr 11, 7:54 AM EDT
What we know about Kentucky’s gun laws

Kentucky is one of 26 U.S. states that allow for permitless carry of firearms for eligible adults.

The Bluegrass State passed a law in 2019 removing the provisions that mandated state gun owners pass a background check if they were going to conceal carry their weapon. Under the law, most adults over the age of 21 can purchase and carry a firearm and take them to most places in Kentucky without any license.

Although gun owners can still apply for a gun license, which requires background checks, they are only meant for people who need such permits when traveling out of state.

Aside from federal laws that prohibit gun purchases by people with convicted felonies, there are no Kentucky laws that prohibit gun purchases to state residents who have mental health disorders, violent misdemeanor convictions, domestic abuse-related restraining orders or anyone with substance abuse disorders.

Firearms are still prohibited in several locations in Kentucky. Schools, government buildings, courthouses, police stations and any place that serves alcohol are gun-free locations, according to state law.

Kentucky law does not have any provisions preventing firearms in several locations such as hospitals, houses of worship, sports arenas, casinos, polling places and banks. However, local business owners and public and private colleges are also allowed to prohibit firearms on their properties, but they must have adequate signage on their premises, according to state law.

Apr 10, 10:59 PM EDT
Old National Bank releases new statement

“There are no words to adequately describe the sadness and devastation that our Old National family is experiencing as we grieve the tragic loss of our team members and pray for the recovery of all those who were injured,” Old National Bank CEO Jim Ryan said in a new statement Monday night.

Ryan and other members of the Old National leadership team have been in Louisville much of the day offering support to affected individuals and their families, and they will continue to be on hand to provide support in the days ahead.

“Obviously, this is an incredibly difficult situation, and our entire focus is on making sure that everyone affected has the support and assistance they need,” Ryan said. “On behalf of everyone at Old National, I also want to acknowledge and thank Louisville law enforcement, the medical community and state and local officials for their incredible response to this tragedy. And finally, we ask you to please continue to pray for all those affected.”

Apr 10, 11:01 PM EDT
Fifth person has died, police say

A fifth person has died following Monday’s mass shooting at a Louisville bank, police said.

Louisville police identified 57-year-old Deana Eckert as the latest victim.

Apr 10, 6:35 PM EDT
Louisville mayor vows to fight gun violence

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg spoke with ABC News’ Trevor Ault and pledged to make reducing gun violence his top priority in office, hours after four people, including his own friend, were gunned down inside a downtown bank.

“We have to take action. Today is a day for love and support to the victims… but this is life and death, so as mayor, this will continue to be our number one priority,” Greenberg – who was a victim of a workplace attack last year, said in the interview that took place a block away the bank.

Greenberg called his emotions “raw.”

“The second I got the alert that there was an active shooter going on, of course my mind immediately went back to the workplace shooting that I survived just over a year ago,” he said. “I know many people who work in that building, so I was thinking about them and everyone that was there.”

-ABC News’ Will McDuffie

Apr 10, 5:30 PM EDT
Shooting suspect was going to be fired from job: Sources

The suspected gunman who shot and killed four people at a downtown Louisville bank had recently been notified he was going to be fired from Old National Bank, law enforcement sources told ABC News.

Connor Sturgeon had interned at Old National Bank for three years before earning a full-time job in June 2021, sources said. He had been promoted in April 2022.

There was no immediate indication why he was notified he would be terminated, according to sources.

The suspect allegedly left a note to parents and friends indicating he was going to shoot up the bank, sources said.

-ABC News’ Aaron Katersky

Apr 10, 3:50 PM EDT
Suspect worked at the bank, was armed with rifle

The suspected shooter, 23-year-old Connor Sturgeon, was armed with a rifle when he allegedly carried out a mass shooting at the Old National Bank, where he worked, according to police.

The suspect was livestreaming, police said, though officials did not elaborate.

Authorities said the suspect was killed by police.

Nine people were hospitalized, including three currently in critical condition, said Dr. Jason Smith, chief medical officer at University of Louisville Health. Three victims are in the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and the three others have been released, Smith said.

Among the nine injured is 26-year-old police officer Nickolas Wilt, who was shot in the head, according to police. He underwent brain surgery and is in critical but stable condition, police said.

Wilt just graduated from the police academy on March 31.

The four slain victims were identified by police as Joshua Barrick, 40; Thomas Elliott, 63; Juliana Farmer, 45; and James Tutt, 64.

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said Elliott was “a very good friend of mine” and of Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.

“This was an evil act of targeted violence,” the mayor said.

“Today, I’m hurt and I’m hurting, and I know so many people out there are, as well,” Beshear said. “We lost four children of God today, one whom is one of my closest friends. Tommy Elliott helped me build my law career, helped me become governor, gave me advice on being a good dad. … He was an incredible friend.”

The governor said of all four victims, “These are irreplaceable, amazing individuals.”

Apr 10, 2:56 PM EDT
Biden: ‘When will Republicans in Congress act?’

President Joe Biden tweeted Monday, “Once again, our nation mourns after a senseless act of gun violence.”

“Jill and I pray for the lives lost and impacted by today’s shooting. Too many Americans are paying for the price of inaction with their lives,” he wrote. “When will Republicans in Congress act to protect our communities?”

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at Monday’s briefing, “Once again, today the president has called on Republicans in Congress to work together with Democrats to take action to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, to require safe storage of firearms, to require background checks for all gun sales, to eliminate gun manufacturers’ immunity from liability.”

“These are common sense actions we can ask for and should be getting right now,” she said.

“We need to act and we need Republicans to show some courage,” she said.

Apr 10, 1:02 PM EDT
2 officers among the injured, 1 in critical condition

Two officers and seven civilians were injured in the Louisville shooting, according to the University of Louisville Hospital.

One of those officers is in critical condition, according to police.

At least three patients have already been discharged, according to the hospital.

Apr 10, 11:27 AM EDT
McConnell ‘devastated’ by news of Louisville shooting

Republican leader and Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, who lives in Louisville, tweeted that he’s “devastated” by the news of Monday morning’s mass shooting.

“We send our prayers to the victims, their families, and the city of Louisville as we await more information,” McConnell tweeted.

His fellow Kentucky senator, Rand Paul, tweeted, “Our hearts break for the families of those lost.”

Apr 10, 11:21 AM EDT
Officers exchanged gunfire with suspect who died at scene

Officers arrived within three minutes of being dispatched and found the suspect still firing, Louisville police said.

Officers exchanged gunfire with the suspect who died at the scene, police said. It’s not yet clear if the suspect’s wounds were self-inflicted, police said.

Four victims were killed and eight people are injured, police said.

At least two officers were shot during the exchange of gunfire, police said, including one who is undergoing surgery.

It appears the suspect was a previous or current employee, police said.

“This is awful. I have a very close friend that didn’t make it today. And I have another close friend who didn’t, either, and one who is at the hospital that I hope is gonna make it through,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said at a news conference.

Apr 10, 10:53 AM EDT
At least 15 mass shootings so far this month

There have been at least 15 mass shootings in the U.S. in the first 10 days of April, including Monday morning’s shooting in Louisville, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

So far this year, the nation has seen at least 146 mass shootings.

The Gun Violence Archive defines a mass shooting as at least four people shot, not including the suspect.

“It feels like every day in this country we are totally consumed by yet another mass shooting. Nowhere else in the developed world do people wake up to this preventable horror every single morning,” Kris Brown, president of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, said in a statement Monday. “Whether it’s a bank, a school, a supermarket, or a church, Americans no longer feel safe in their communities. And Americans are increasingly tired of living in fear of being a victim of a mass shooting.”

“It does not have to be this way,” Brown said. “But until the gun industry no longer has a vice grip on our elected officials, this will continue to be our daily reality.”

Apr 10, 10:32 AM EDT
Shooting unfolded in bank conference room

The gunman opened fire in the bank’s first-floor conference room at about 8:30 a.m. local time, according to officials.

Eyewitnesses said the shooter appeared to have been armed with a long gun.

“He just started shooting,” Troy Haste told ABC Louisville affiliate WHAS-TV. “Whoever was next to me got shot. Blood is on me from it.”

Police said the suspect is dead.

A responding police officer was shot in the head, sources told ABC News. The officer’s condition is unknown.

According to preliminary information, this shooting is not believed to have been terror-related, sources told ABC News.

Apr 10, 10:19 AM EDT
Suspected shooter neutralized

Louisville police tweeted that the “suspected shooter has been neutralized,” adding, “There is no longer an active aggressor threat.”

There is no longer an active aggressor threat. The suspected shooter has been neutralized.

— LMPD (@LMPD) April 10, 2023

Apr 10, 10:05 AM EDT
Residents urged to avoid area

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg tweeted that residents should avoid the area around Slugger Field until further notice.

There is an active police situation downtown. Please avoid the area around Slugger Field until further notice. We will provide information as soon as possible.

— Mayor Craig Greenberg (@LouisvilleMayor) April 10, 2023

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said he is heading to the scene.

“Please pray for all of the families impacted and for the city of Louisville,” he tweeted.

FBI and ATF agents are assisting with the incident.

Four lawmakers share their mental health struggles: It’s ‘a form of public service’

April 11, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — In the wake of Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman entering treatment for severe depression, four Democratic colleagues in Congress exclusively sat down with ABC News to share their support for him and his recovery while applauding his courage on the stigma-clouded topic, which has historically been associated with great political risk.

The four lawmakers — Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota, Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona and Rep. Ritchie Torres of New York — also spoke candidly about their own mental health battles, ranging from clinical depression to post-traumatic stress disorder, in the occasionally emotional interview.

Speaking out, as Torres told ABC’s Brittany Shepherd, is the best way forward.

“Telling our stories is a form of public service. We represent people who are deeply affected by mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, who want to see themselves and their elected officials,” he said. “And I felt like I had a profound obligation to confront the culture of silence and stigma and shame that often surrounds the subject of mental health.”

“Whether you are Republican or Democrat, progressive or conservative, Black or white, rich or poor, mental health is a universal experience that binds us together,” Torres said, “because it’s a human condition.”

Below are highlights from the conversation. See more from the interview on ABC News Live Prime:

Four personal journeys

In part prompted by Fetterman sharing details of his struggles — a lifelong history of depression that worsened dramatically early this year, his staff has said — the four lawmakers told ABC News about their mental health journeys.

Smith said she first experienced symptoms of depression during college, when she was in her late teens. She had another bout of depression as a young mom, when she was in her thirties.

But she said she got care and treatment during her college years and in her thirties worked with a therapist who diagnosed her with clinical depression and helped her heal “over time.”

Moulton, a Marine veteran, first disclosed that he had sought treatment for PTSD in the aftermath of his four combat deployments in Iraq, while he also ran for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.

It took him a “while” to come to terms with the fact that he was suffering with the disorder, because he “didn’t have the worst symptoms,” he said.

“I would wake up in cold sweats and have terrible dreams, but I was able to go to graduate school, I was able to hold down a job. A lot of vets can’t even do those simple things,” he said, noting that when he did finally access treatment by way of regular therapy appointments, his condition improved.

“I still see a therapist on a regular basis because I think it’s a healthy thing to do. But I’ve really been able to pretty much eliminate the regular symptoms of post-traumatic stress that I have,” Moulton said.

Gallego, too, suffers from PTSD, he said — from his six months while deployed in Iraq as a Marine. The Arizona congressman, who is challenging independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema in 2024, said that he experiences guilt over surviving combat when some others did not.

“I sometimes feel a lot of regret. I feel sometimes that, you know, that I should have gone instead of some of my guys that went. And sometimes I feel maybe a little hypersensitive about my surroundings,” he said.

Torres said he first began experiencing symptoms of depression as a high school student. He later dropped out of New York University in 2007 as he again struggled with his mental health.

Admitted into New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Hospital, Torres was then formally diagnosed with major depressive disorder, he said.

“There were moments when I even attempted suicide,” Torres said. “Ever since then, I’ve been managing the condition, and I never thought I would make it to the United States Congress.”

Mental health’s history of political damage: Has it changed?

In July 1972, Democratic presidential nominee Sen. George McGovern’s running mate, Missouri Sen. Thomas Eagleton, told journalists he had previously undergone electric shock treatments and psychiatric care for exhaustion and depression.

Though McGovern pledged to support Eagleton, he was forced off the ticket just over two weeks later.

It was one of the first times in modern history that a major political figure experienced fallout from revealing their mental health battles. Smith told ABC News that when she shared her history of depression while on the Senate floor in 2019, Eagleton was “in her mind.”

In the 51 years since Eagleton’s experience, each of the four members acknowledged, strides have been made around mental health and politics — even as recent as earlier in their own careers as elected officials.

“I felt when I first ran for office that this was my big skeleton in the closet,” said Moulton.

He thought an announcement of his PTSD might “end his career.”

“Ironically, getting help for it, seeing a therapist, can make the political attacks even worse,” he said.

Torres, who is gay, said that during his first run for office, in 2013, when he was vying for a city council spot, he was more open with his sexuality than the fact that he dealt with mental health issues.

He said that an opponent in that race “attempted to weaponize my mental health against me. And so after that race, I said, ‘I’m going to tell my story on my own terms.'”

With time, though, and with more and more people speaking out, the stigma has lessened.

“When I started going to therapists I [would] try to find as many ways as possible to hide that I was going to a therapist. Like I would make sure that I was driving in a way that people couldn’t figure out that I was pulling up to the therapist’s office,” Gallego said.

“And it’s been … a sea change that I don’t have to do that anymore,” he said.

The members said they’ve mostly been met with support from their peers as well, just as Fetterman was.

“Instead of being castigated, I remember how many people in the next few days and weeks came up to me and just opened up about their own stories,” Moulton said, remembering what happened after he publicly shared his story of PTSD in 2019. “I mean, people from all over America I’d never met before, but even close colleagues, friends, people in my office.”

Other lawmakers may be privately struggling still, Torres said: “There are 535 members in Congress. I suspect we’re not the only four.”

“I think the fact that the four of us are here is a sign of progress. But the fact that only four of us are here is a sign that we have a distance to travel,” he said.

What’s been done — and still to do

President Joe Biden included a number of mental health provisions in his most recent budget proposal, which is unlikely to gain traction in the currently divided Congress.

Legislators did, however, increase funding for mental health resources as part of the 2023 omnibus spending package passed in January.

That law bolstered money for virtual peer support and expanded mental health services in schools, substance use health support and maternal mental health care, among other things.

Smith singled out last year’s anti-gun violence package that was brokered with Republicans, which had some notable mental health measures as well, “supporting community behavioral health centers all over the country, supporting access to school-based care for mental health.”

“That I’m really, really proud of. And we did that,” Smith said.

Last year’s law also included funds to transition to the new 988 crisis line, which was implemented in July and aims to provide suicide prevention and mental health support nationwide.

Moulton co-authored the bill to establish 988, which he called “probably the single most impactful thing [he’s] done in Congress.”

“I hear from people across the country who say, ‘That saved my life.’ And you know what? The risk was worth it, too, right?” he said. “Because telling my story, telling our stories, I mean, if that had cost any of our political careers and yet we saved just one life by doing that — it’s worth it.”

Tupperware says it could go out of business

April 11, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — A staple in many American kitchens could soon be coming to an end.

Tupperware, which has been in American homes for more than 75 years, is now saying it could soon go out of business.

The news sent stock prices plummeting nearly 50% on Monday.

Analysts say the brand has struggled to connect with younger consumers.

Louisville shooting live updates: Suspect was armed with AR-15, mayor says