Louisville shooter Connor Sturgeon's mother made a fanatic 911 call, telling the operator that her son "currently has a gun and is heading toward" the Old National Bank, where he shot dead five coworkers, before being gunned down by the police. Authorities released the calls on Wednesday.
Sturgeon, 25, attacked Old National Bank on Monday with an assault-style rifle similar to the AR-15. He livestreamed the carnage before being fatally shot by police. Sturgeon's family spoke out on Tuesday denouncing his "senseless acts of violence" as they noted that their son struggled with mental health issues but never gave any warning signs.
Chilling Call to Alert Police
In the recently made public emergency call, Sturgeon's mother Lisa sounded terrified as she attempted to alert authorities after learning about his plans. She informed the operator that Dallas Whalen, her son's roommate, had found a message and had phoned her.
"My son might be [redacted], because he has a gun and he's heading to the Old National [Bank]," she said. "This is his mother, I'm sorry I'm getting details second hand. Oh my lord.
"I don't know what to do. I need your help. He's never hurt anyone. He's a really good kid," she added.
The distraught mother replies that she has no idea when the dispatcher asks whether she understands what he is doing.
"I don't know, I don't know anything. He doesn't even own a gun, I don't know where he got a gun. His roommate called me, he was concerned. I don't know what I'm doing."
The mother confirmed that Sturgeon worked at the bank and told the dispatcher she planned to go there. "I don't want you to go to the location, OK," the officer instructed. "I don't want you to go to the location ma'am.
"We have a situation that is going on down there right now, we've already had calls from other people and I do not need you to go to the location at this time OK, it's dangerous there."
Lisa also suggested during the call that her son's girlfriend might have given him the gun. "I don't know where he would have gotten a gun. He must've gotten it from his girlfriend or something."
Later, she said: "I think maybe his girlfriend may have had a gun. I don't know, maybe he saw them."
Sturgeon likely bought the gun a week back, according to the authorities.
None of the callers were identified by name, and other details were edited out of the calls. The first message came in from a woman who was on a video call inside the bank.
More Disturbing Details
Throughout the four-minute conversation, the unidentified woman shouted and cried while reporting that there was a shooter at the bank's downtown branch. "I just watched it on a Teams meeting," she said. "We were having a board meeting. With our commercial (lending) team.
"We heard multiple shots and everybody started saying, "Oh my God" and then he came into the board room."
After the first call, more people started to arrive. One of the callers claimed that she was calling from within the building, as several gunshots could be heard in the background.
"I'm in a closet hiding," the caller said. She continued by indicating that shots had been fired, providing a description of the incident, and claiming to know the gunman. "He works with us.
"How long will it be before they get here?" she whispered and the dispatcher told her that authorities were on the way and advised her to keep quiet.
When asked about the nature of the injuries, the caller said, "I don't know. I just noticed a lot of blood."
Another caller said, "We have an active shooter in our building... Get here now! We need somebody now!"
According to earlier reports, Sturgeon was "neutralized" three minutes or so after police arrived at the bank.
Emergency personnel could be heard on the 911 calls analyzing the situation and exchanging details including the locations of potential casualties. Those officers were also told to bring witnesses to the nearby Slugger baseball stadium.
On Tuesday, police revealed body camera footage that captured the chaotic moments. The shooter, whom officers couldn't see when they arrived at the bank, was raining bullets down on them.
Deputy Chief Paul Humphrey of the Louisville Metro Police Department showed reporters edited video and still images while praising the responding officers for their bravery at a press conference.
According to a statement from Sturgeon's parents, Sturgeon was struggling with mental health issues and was being treated, but "there were never any warning signals or indicators he was capable of this shocking act."
They claimed they are cooperating with police to understand what happened while still grieving for the victims and the loss of their son.
The incident, which is the 15th mass murder in the nation this year, comes barely two weeks after a former student at a Christian elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee, some 160 miles south of Louisville, Tennessee, killed three children and three adults.
