Louisville, Kentucky, police have released body cam video of the active shooter situation at Old National Bank.
You can watch the video below, but be aware that it is disturbing. It shows two Louisville police officers approaching the bank as the shooter fires gunshots. Police warned on their Facebook page that the video was “graphic.”
Police have identified the shooter as Connor Sturgeon, a bank employee. The body camera footage also contains still shots of Sturgeon, armed, inside the bank. Police previously identified five victims who died in the mass shooting at the bank.
The deceased victims are Joshua Barrick, 40; Thomas Elliott, 63; Juliana Farmer, 45; Deanna Eckert, 57; and James Tutt, 64. Louisville Metro Police Officer Nickolas Wilt was wounded and is in critical condition, police said in a previous news conference. You can read about the victims here.
The suspect “set up an ambush and waited for officers to respond,” Deputy Chief Paul Humphrey said in a news conference. “He lied in wait for officers to respond. And as soon as he saw them, he shot at them.” He said officers could not see inside the building as they approached.
As the body cam video shows, he was shot dead at the scene.
Here’s what you need to know:
The Louisville Police Body Cam Video Shows the 2 Officers Walking Up the Steps to the Bank
The body cam video from the first officer, who was shot and critically wounded, cuts off as he walks up the steps. The second body cam video shows the second officer drawing fire before retreating behind a concrete area.
The officers “neutralized” the threat, Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel said in a news conference on April 11, 2023. Humphrey said officers did “everything they needed to do” to save lives, noting that no other person was injured after the officers arrived.
The body cam video also contains a short citizen video showing the officers approaching the bank.
Louisville police identified the two officers in the video, writing, “Here are our HERO Officers. Ofc. Nickolas Wilt (L) and Ofc. Cory “CJ” Galloway (R). Both are assigned to LMPD’s First Division. Officer Wilt graduated on 3-31-23. Officer Galloway is a Training Officer and has been an Officer since 2018. #LMPD #Heroes.”
Louisville Police Responded to a Call for an ‘Active Shooter’ at the Bank
Deputy Chief Paul Humphrey said in the news conference that police had responded to a “report of an active shooter.”
He then walked through the situation. He said that officers are trained that “all life is sacred,” and police response needs to tailored to whomever is in control of the situation.
Humphrey said that Wilt is a brand-new officer with no experience but who “went back into the line of fire in order to protect others.” He said that Wilt did not hesitate to act.
“They are immediately shot at,” he said of the two officers, “or at least shots are fired in their direction,” coming from the “front lobby area of the building.”
The officers then ascended the stairs toward the lobby at which time Wilt was struck by gunfire. Wilt was eventually rescued by other officers, Humphrey said.
The video shows the encounter between the officers and suspect but does not show any of the civilian victims, Humphrey said.
READ NEXT: Louisville Active Shooter Connor Sturgeon.