'Please don't punish him': Louisville shooting bodycam footage, 911 calls paint picture of desperate moments

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A frantic call from an Old National Bank employee and a much calmer one from a co-worker hiding in a closet provided Louisville police the first indications of the carnage caused by a gunman’s attack, according to audio of 911 calls released Wednesday.

The shooter's mother tried to prevent the mayhem, reaching out to police and saying her son “currently has a gun and is heading toward” the bank, but it was too late.

Together, the 911 calls and the body camera video released Tuesday fill out details of the chaotic scene surrounding Monday's assault and the police officers' heroic response.

Five people were killed and eight injured by a bank worker identified as Connor Sturgeon, who police said was armed with an AR-15 rifle. Authorities said officers arrived at the scene three minutes after being dispatched, likely saving lives.

“Oh my God, there’s an active shooter there,” says a panicked woman identified as the first 911 caller. “I just watched it on a Teams meeting. ... We were having a board meeting with our commercial (lending) team.”

An initial picture of the harrowing Monday morning scene develops as the operator asks the woman for the bank’s address, where specifically the shooting was taking place and what the assailant looked like.

As more calls start to come in, the operator excuses himself and tells her, “We have them (police officers) going that way. … We do have everybody responding. We’re getting them out there.’’

One of the callers says she’s calling from inside a closet in the building as numerous gunshots are heard in the background. She gives a description of the shooting and says she knows the perpetrator: “He works with us.”

Another call came from a woman who says her son was heading toward the bank with a gun, saying his roommate had called expressing concern. She identifies herself as Sturgeon's mother.

“He apparently left a note,’’ she says. “I don't know what to do, I need your help. He's never hurt anyone. He's a really good kid. Please don’t punish him.’’

The woman says her son is an employee at the bank, is not violent and has never owned a gun. She asks if she should go to the bank and the responder advises her against it, saying officers were already at the scene and it was not a safe location.

INTENSE VIDEO: Louisville shooting updates: Body camera video shows officers fired at in gunman's 'ambush'

Latest developments:

►Funeral services will be held Friday for Elliott, a senior vice president at the bank whom Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear described as a good friend who helped him launch his law career.

►The killer left a note behind and told at least one person he was suicidal, U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey said.

A mother's anguished 911 call

The gunman's mother appears torn in a 911 call, wanting to protect her son but also warn police about what he might do. She tells the operator her son doesn't own a gun but may be headed toward the bank with one.

Sturgeon's mother says she's shaking and doesn't know where her son could have gotten a weapon.

“We don’t even own guns,” she says, providing a description of her son – white, 6-foot-4 inches tall.

She asks whether she should go to the bank and the operator warns her against it, saying police officers have responded.

“You've had calls from other people?” she asks, sounding incredulous and heartbroken. “So they’re already there?”

Yes, the operator says. “It is an unsafe situation.”

– Donovan Slack

Shooter's parents can't explain how 'Mr. Floyd Central' became a mass killer

The parents of the 25-year-old bank employee who killed five people in a hail of bullets say they can't explain how the son voted "Mr. Floyd Central High'' seven years ago turned into a brutal killer.

The family of Connor Sturgeon said late Tuesday that he had "mental health challenges" but that there were never any warning signs he was capable of what police described as the targeted shooting of Old National Bank colleagues gathered for a meeting Monday morning.

"No words can express our sorrow, anguish, and horror at the unthinkable harm our son Connor inflicted on innocent people, their families, and the entire Louisville community," the family said in a statement.

As Louisville police seek a motive, Interim Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel denied reports that Sturgeon was about to get fired from his job at the bank. She told CNN on Wednesday that "there was no discussion about him being terminated.''

Body camera video from the first two police officers who responded shows them taking fire in what Deputy Police Chief Paul Humphrey described as an "ambush."

Governor, mayor among hundreds paying tribute to victims at vigil

Hundreds of people gathered Wednesday afternoon at Louisville's Muhammad Ali Center – about a mile from the site of the shooting – for a vigil to honor the five persons killed.

They have been identified as Joshua Barrick, 40, Thomas Elliott, 63, Juliana Farmer, 45, James Tutt, 64, and Deana Eckert, 57. They were all bank employees.

Among those who spoke at the memorial were Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg. Beshear was close friends with Elliott, whom the governor credited with helping launch his law career.

Beshear urged those in attendance to remember to express their love for those they care about.

“We can live for the fallen, and we can live better for them. We can be better,'' Beshear said. "We can be better family members. Better dads. Better moms. We can be better community members, and we can be better people. Let’s commit that to them.”

Officer Nickolas Wilt fights for his life

Officer Nickolas Wilt remained in the hospital in critical condition after being shot in the head as he ran toward the gunfire. The released version of Wilt’s footage cuts off before he is shot.

A bullet grazed fellow officer Cory Galloway, Wilt's field trainer, on his left side. Galloway found cover behind a large planter and eventually fired the round that took down the assailant.

Wilt, 26, graduated from the Louisville Metro Police Academy 10 days before the shooting. Gwinn-Villaroel said she had sworn him in as his family watched, and Wilt's twin brother is going through the academy now, friends of the family said. Wilt was working just his fourth shift as a police officer.

The two officers' quick response Monday saved lives, Gwinn-Villaroel said: They "did not hesitate" when the call came in at 8:38 a.m.

"I'm just truly proud of the heroic actions of those two officers and everybody else that responded," Gwinn-Villaroel said. "They went toward danger in order to save and preserve life, and that's what you saw yesterday. They stopped the threat so other lives could be saved.

"They showed no hesitation, and they did what they were taught to do."

– Lucas Aulbach and Madeline Mitchell, Louisville Courier Journal

Galloway: 'I think I've got him down'

Galloway's video shows him and Wilt as they reach the top of the stairs outside the bank. Wilt is not shown being hit, but Galloway rolls down the stairs and positions himself behind the planter and on the sidewalk. He takes cover there for just over three minutes before other officers arrive.

At that point, Galloway is shown firing several shots. The gunshots are audible, but the footage does not offer a clear view of the fatal shot. Humphrey said Galloway did not have a "close-range shot" and the stairs obscured his camera angle.

"I think I've got him down," Galloway says. He then walks up the stairs and over shattered glass. An image blurred by police shows the shooter down in the lobby, near a second set of glass doors.

"There's only a few people in this country that can do what they did. Not everybody can do that," Humphrey said. "They deserve to be honored for what they did because it is not something that comes easily, it is not something that comes naturally. ... That's superhuman."

– Madeline Mitchell and Lucas Aulbach, Louisville Courier Journal

Impromptu memorial to victims emerges outside bank

The steps outside of Old National Bank have been transformed into a somber memorial crowded with flowers. White crosses with blue hearts bear the names of the victims. Kett Ketterer, who works nearby at KD & Company wholesale flower company, unloaded more than a dozen potted Easter lilies.

"I think everybody's just in shock, and you have to have some way to express yourself in your grief," he said. "And I'm trying to understand. It just doesn't make sense."

Andrew Thuita came to the memorial because his girlfriend works nearby downtown. She was safe, but he has been too close to tragedy before. In 2018, he had gone shopping at the Jeffersontown Kroger on the same day two people were shot and killed.

"Another statistic in America," Thuita said. "There is something wrong."

– Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal

Timeline for a tragedy

Sturgeon made a number of posts on his now deleted Instagram account shortly before the rampage began. Among them: "They won't listen to words or protests. Let's see if they hear this." Sturgeon, armed with an AR-15 rifle, then livestreamed his assault.

Humphrey said the first 911 call came in at 8:38 a.m., and officers were sent to the scene. Wilt and Galloway arrived at the entrance to the bank three minutes later and were met with gunfire that forced them to back up their vehicle. One minute later they got out of the car, and two minutes after that Wilt was shot and officers returned fire.

At 8:45 a.m., after a burst of gunfire, officers entered the bank and confirmed the suspect was down. Sturgeon died at the scene.

Family statement mourns loss of son, his victims

The shooter's family reached out to the Louisville community in their statement Tuesday night.

"We mourn their loss and that of our son, Connor. We pray for everyone traumatized by his senseless acts of violence and are deeply grateful for the bravery and heroism of the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department," the statement read.

"While Connor, like many of his contemporaries, had mental health challenges which we, as a family, were actively addressing, there were never any warning signs or indications he was capable of this shocking act. While we have many unanswered questions, we will continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement officials and do all we can to aid everyone in understanding why and how this happened."

A star athlete with negative self-image

Sturgeon grew up in southern Indiana and graduated from Floyd Central High School, about 12 miles northwest of Louisville. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Alabama, an school spokesperson confirmed.

At Floyd Central, he played basketball for his father, Todd Sturgeon, who was the head coach. The younger Sturgeon was named “Mr. Floyd Central” in 2016 as a senior.

A former friend and teammate at Floyd Central told The Daily Beast this week that Sturgeon was “smart, popular and a star athlete.”

But in a 2018 college essay at the University of Alabama, Sturgeon wrote, “My self-esteem has long been a problem for me,” and as a “late bloomer in middle and high school, I struggled to a certain extent to fit in, and this has given me a somewhat negative self-image that persists today.” The essay was posted to a website called “CourseHero,” CNN and The Daily Beast reported, but it has since been taken down.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Louisville shooting updates: Shooter's mother called 911 in panic