LMPD officer was shot in the head in a mass shooting 10 days after graduating the academy

Nickolas Wilt's former co-workers say they weren't surprised to learn he was one of the first to run toward the scene of a mass shooting Monday in downtown Louisville – just 10 days after he'd graduated from the city's police academy.

That's just the kind of person he is, said Maj. John Luker, who worked with Wilt at Oldham County EMS.

"We throw around the term hero, but he's the guy who's going to do the right thing," Luker said, hours after the 26-year-old was shot in the head during the incident at an Old National Bank on Main Street. "A co-worker said that term's (warranted) this time. He earned it."

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The shooting took place around 8:30 a.m., when police say bank employee Connor Sturgeon fired an AR-15 rifle at others in the building, killing five people and injuring eight, including Wilt and his field training officer Cory Galloway.

Sturgeon, 25, was shot and killed by police.

Galloway was grazed by a bullet and has been released from University of Louisville Hospital.

Wilt underwent brain surgery Monday and remained in critical condition Thursday.

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Wilt had graduated from LMPD's 54th academy class on March 31, and his twin brother Zack is going through the academy now, several who know the family have said.

At a press conference Tuesday, officials said Monday marked Wilt's fourth shift on the job, and they praised him and other officers for their quick actions.

"He did not hesitate, at all," Louisville Metro Police Interim Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel said of Wilt. "... We're really proud of the heroic actions of those two officers and everybody else that responded. ... They stopped the threat so other lives could be saved. They showed no hesitation, and they did what they were called to do."

Wilt and Calloway were the first two officers to arrive at the shooting, pulling up to Old National Bank on Preston Street.

The shooter began firing at the officers before they exited their vehicle, according to body camera footage released Tuesday. And Wilt was struck while moving up the stairs of the building. Galloway was also hit in the side and took cover behind a planter at the base of the stairs.

"Officer Wilt was a brand new officer, he had no experience," LMPD Deputy Chief Paul Humphrey said. "He was going based on two things: his training and his character.

"Even after getting shot at, this young man went back into the line of fire in order to protect others."

Wilt previously worked at Oldham County EMS before joining the police recruiting class and also volunteered with the La Grange Fire & Rescue Department.

Luker called the shooting surreal and said many in Oldham County are praying for Wilt's recovery.

Wilt began working as an emergency medical technician for Oldham EMS in March 2021 and was always dependable, Luker said.

He was a team player who always wanted to help where he could. And while "I hated for us to lose him ... knowing what police are going through in Louisville, he's the type of officer they need," Luker said.

"It's unfortunate that it happened," he added about the shooting. "But as tore up as everybody is, we also know those actions saved a lot of other lives. ... We're just so proud of him."

Eric Dutton, his partner at Oldham EMS, said he wasn't surprised to learn Wilt showed no hesitancy while responding to the shooting.

"Every time he and I were on a call, we'd roll up the scene, the unit's parked, he's out the door grabbing equipment and we're in the house," Dutton said. "Ninety-eight percent of the time he beat me inside, just ready to go in there and help somebody."

Dutton, 42, worked 12-hour shifts with Wilt for about nine months and said the pair often joked about their age difference. But Wilt was always professional, and Dutton trusted him to make the right call.

"Anybody who doesn't know Nick Wilt is really missing out," Dutton said. "He's really got a passion for his community. ... We're not giving up on him, because I know he's not going to give up on himself."

In a Facebook post, the Louisville Metro Police Foundation shared a message from Wilt's family, saying after the sudden death of his father in February, Wilt "has stepped up and taken over being a handyman for his mom, whom he loves dearly."

The foundation is now collecting donations for Wilt and his family on its website, saferlouisville.org.

This story will be updated.

Reach reporter Bailey Loosemore at bloosemore@courier-journal.com, 502-582-4646 or on Twitter @bloosemore.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Office shot in Louisville, KY: Nickolas Wilt in critical condition