Gun used in Louisville bank mass killing will be auctioned off to the public
‘Think about that. That murder weapon will be back on the streets’
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The weapon used for the shooting in the Louisville bank that led to the deaths of five people will likely be auctioned to the public, according to officials.
On Monday morning, 25-year-old gunman Connor Sturgeon had opened fire at the Louisville bank and killed five and injured eight others.
The gunman also exchanged fire with law enforcement officials and was subsequently shot dead by police fire.
Louisville mayor Craig Greenberg called for a change in the way confiscated guns are handled.
“My administration has already taken action to remove the firing pin before turning confiscated guns over to the state. Because that’s all that the current law allows us to do,” he said while criticising state laws during a press conference on Tuesday.
“Under current Kentucky law, the assault rifle that was used to murder five of our neighbours and shoot at rescuing police officers will one day be auctioned off,” he said.
“Think about that. That murder weapon will be back on the streets.”
The semi-automatic AR-15-style rifle had been legally purchased by Sturgeon on 4 April, days before the shooting.
Under the current law in Kentucky, guns confiscated by local police, including those used in homicides, are returned to state police and then made available for purchase at auction.
“It’s time to change this law. And let us destroy illegal guns and destroy the guns that have been used to kill our friends and kill our neighbours,” Mr Greenberg said.
Meanwhile, Louisville police also released bodycam video footage of officers confronting and fatally shooting the gunman.
Officials said it took around nine minutes from the moment Sturgeon took his first shot to being killed at the scene by Louisville Metro Police Department officers.
According to Sturgeon’s LinkedIn account, he worked at the bank as a syndications associate and a portfolio banker.
The motive for the attack remains unclear but the gunman is said to have left behind ominous warnings about his deadly plans for his family and friends to find.
Police dispatch audio, released by Broadcastify, captured the minute-by-minute police response to Monday’s attack.
In the audio, the dispatcher is heard relaying to law enforcement officials on the scene that Sturgeon had called a friend before the attack and left a chilling voicemail saying he felt “suicidal” and planned to “kill everyone at the bank”.
Sturgeon had also written a note to his parents and a friend outlining his plans to open fire in the bank, a law enforcement source told CNN.
The source said Sturgeon had worked at the bank for over a year but had been recently notified that he was going to be fired.
He ultimately shot 13 people, killing five of them: Josh Barrick, 40, Tommy Elliott, 63, Jim Tutt, 64, Juliana Farmer, 57 and Deanna Eckert, 57.
Mr Greenberg slammed the level of gun violence in Louisville as “horrific”. He said 40 people have been killed by guns in the city just this year and urged all levels of government to take action.
“That level of gun violence is beyond horrific.”
Democratic Kentucky representative Morgan McGarvey attacked Republican colleagues for failing to act on gun violence.