New massacre in the United States. A young American opened fire Monday, April 10 in the bank that employed him, in Louisville, Kentucky’s main city, killing five people and injuring at least eight while broadcasting images of the attack live on the internet, before to be shot by the police.
After an initial death toll of four, police in Louisville (central-eastern United States) announced in the evening that a fifth victim, a 57-year-old woman, had died of her injuries. The assailant broadcast live footage of the attack on the internet.
Shooter Connor Sturgeon, 25, was “live streaming” the attack, Louisville Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel said at a press conference. A spokeswoman for Meta (parent company of Facebook and Instagram) said in a statement to Agence France Presse that the company was “in contact with law enforcement” and “quickly removed the live stream. of this tragic event this morning”.
Authorities didn’t say the shooter’s motive, but CNN said Connor Sturgeon had just been told he would be fired and left a letter for his family saying he was going to open fire. at the bank’s premises.
Called at around 8:30 a.m. this morning (12:30 GMT) to a shooting at Old National Bank premises in the city center, police arrived within minutes as the suspect was ‘still shooting’ said Paul Humphrey, a city police official, at a news conference. The suspect died shortly after their intervention began. “We are still trying to find out if he shot himself or was killed by officers. »
“We believe he acted alone and had a connection to the bank,” added Paul Humphrey, referring to the fact that it would be a former or current employee. The investigation, which has only just begun, will have to determine this.
“At least” two officers were injured in the firefight, with one being operated on in hospital, he said. “At least four more victims were found dead inside the premises, along with eight (others) who are being treated at the University Hospital.” In all, nine people were admitted for treatment at a Louisville hospital. Three are in critical condition, she added. The four people who died, three men and one woman, were between 40 and 64 years old.
“It was a diabolical act of targeted violence,” said Mayor Craig Greenberg, who said he lost a “very good friend” in the killings. The victim, Tommy Elliott, was also one of the “closest friends” of Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, who honored him and spoke out against gun violence. Such acts “rip the ties that bind us together,” the Democratic governor said, expressing his “pain” after the day’s events.
Joe Biden called Andy Beshear that evening to discuss the “tragic” event, the White House said in a statement. The president had earlier denounced “a new absurd episode of gun violence”. “Once again our nation is in mourning,” he wrote on Twitter, calling relentlessly – and with little chance of success – for Congress to ban assault rifles.
Once again, our nation is in mourning after a senseless act of gun violence. How many more Americans must die before Republicans in Congress will act to protect our communities?
The shooter was armed with such a rifle, type AR-15, often used during killings in the country, according to CNN, citing a federal police source.
The United States pays a very heavy price for the spread of firearms in its territory and the ease with which Americans have access to them. On March 27, a person opened fire at a private elementary school in Nashville, neighboring Tennessee, killing three 9-year-old children and three employees before being shot dead by police
The country has more personal weapons than people: one in three adults owns at least one weapon and nearly one in two adults lives in a household with a weapon. The consequence of this proliferation is the very high rate of firearm deaths in the United States, unmatched by that of other developed countries.
Around 49,000 people died from gunshot wounds in 2021, compared to 45,000 in 2020, which was already a record year. This represents more than 130 deaths per day, more than half of which are suicides.