Louisville shooter Connor Sturgeon was furious and upset after he was fired from his job at the Old National Bank. He mentioned in the suicide note to his parents that he was upset and would carry out an attack. Connor's motive behind the shooting is still unclear but many believe that this could be the reason behind the deadly attack.
Police, however, are yet to determine a motive behind the attack. Sturgeon broke into the morning meeting with an AR-15 assault weapon and murdered five of his colleagues around 8:30 am before the bank's doors opened to the public. He was eventually killed after engaging in gunfire with the cops.
Suicidal Thoughts Lead to Attack
Sturgeon was upset since being fired from his job at the Old National Bank in downtown Louisiana, Kentucky. It is unclear when and why Sturgeon was fired and how long he had been planning the attack.
Authorities verified to CNN that Sturgeon had received word that he would be fired from his job and that he had written a note to his parents threatening to attack the bank.
He mentioned in a note to his parents that he was "upset" after being fired and wanted to carry out the attack. All his victims were known to him with many even his friends.
Sturgeon carried out the attack with an AR-15-style assault rifle after making a series of menacing Instagram posts. One of the posts, which have now been taken down, read: "They won't listen to words or protests. Let's see if they hear this."
He was 'neutralized' by cops after wounding nine other victims.
It was apparently overheard on police scanners that Sturgeon was "suicidal" and had texted a friend that he would "shoot up the bank" during the shooting.
On his LinkedIn profile, Sturgeon describes himself as he/him.
He described his profile as Syndications Associate and Portfolio Banker for Old National Bank. It further states that he joined the bank following the completion of ONB Commercial Banking Development Training Program in April 2022.
Prior to the shootout, Sturgeon texted a friend saying he was feeling suicidal and "would shoot up the bank."
Motive Still Unclear
Sturgeon was born in a middle-class family in Floyd's Knob, Indiana, where, at 6 feet 4 inches tall, he excelled as a basketball player at Floyd Central High School. Sturgeon attended the University of Alabama before enrolling at the Manderson Graduate School of Management at the same university. According to his LinkedIn profile, he has been employed at Old National Bank as a Syndications Associate and Portfolio Banker since July of last year.
The shooter was described as intelligent, popular, and a star athlete in high school track, football, and basketball by a former friend and teammate of Sturgeon's from high school.
He earned the Evansville Regional title in the 400-meter during the 2015–16 track season, going on to place 20th at the state competition. He was the 2016 NTSPY winner for Boys Track Athlete of the Year.
In 2015, Sturgeon was also named as a National Merit Scholar.
"I know everyone always says this about shooters, but I truly would have never expected it to be him," the unnamed classmate told the Daily Beast.
He mentioned that due to his extensive history of concussions, Sturgeon always wore a helmet during basketball games. An Instagram account that was apparently liked to Sturgeon was under the username 'Mr. Concussion.'
Sturgeon listed 'he/him' pronouns on his LinkedIn profile and recently praised the bank's leadership training, stating that he "can't recommend this program enough."
"The opportunity to work with great folks in several areas to see where I fit was immensely beneficial," he said.
He had previously worked at the bank "for three consecutive summers" while attending college in Alabama.
Sturgeon wrote on her blog in 2022 that he had participated in the Focus Louisville program and that it had been "eye-opening" in terms of the problems in the area and the people trying to address them.
Sturgeon had no prior criminal record, and his mother Lisa and younger brother Cameron were said to have approached the police to identify him when they saw him outside the bank.
