Louisville shooting: Bank gunman Connor Sturgeon’s rifle ‘will be auctioned’ – as police release bodycam footage
Police bodycam footage has shown the moment officers confronted a gunman who had opened fire at a Louisville bank – killing five colleagues.
Connor Sturgeon, 25, was shot dead by police following the attack at the Old National Bank in the Kentucky city on Monday morning.
Two patrol officers who responded to the shooting were among eight wounded, with one of the officers hit in the head by a bullet.
Sturgeon livestreamed the attack on social media.
Police bodycam video footage was released by officers on Tuesday.
In the footage, the officer wearing the camera can be heard saying he is approaching the bank from the east side.
Smashed glass can be seen on the pavement before gunshots are heard and the police officer appears to hit the ground.
He then runs down some steps back to street level before taking cover.
In other footage, an officer named Corey Galloway’s body camera shows him perched behind a stairway outside the building after rookie officer Nickolas Wilt was hit in the head by a bullet.
He waits and, as other officers arrive, more gunshots are heard and Officer Galloway fires – and then shouts to say he thinks the attacker is down.
Louisville Metro Police Department Deputy Chief Paul Humphrey said the video shows Mr Galloway “continues to stay in the fight and try to assess exactly where” the gunman is after suffering a minor gunshot wound while on the radio and “trying to get a good view of the” attacker.
Surveillance footage shows Connor Sturgeon inside the bank
Mr Humphrey walked reporters through edited footage and still photos.
One still image from surveillance video showed the gunman holding a rifle inside the building, surrounded by broken glass.
Police said he set up an ambush position to attack officers as they arrived.
Police chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel said they “unflinchingly” engaged Sturgeon to stop his rampage.
“The act of heroism can’t be overstated on yesterday. They did what they were called to do. They answered that call to protect and serve,” she told reporters.
Mr Wilt – who finished training less than two weeks ago – is critical but stable after being shot in the head, according to hospital officials.
Connor Sturgeon murdered five colleagues before police shot him dead
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Gunshots heard in Louisville footage
Ms Gwinn-Villaroel said the AR-15 style assault rifle used in the slaughter was legally purchased at a local dealership on 4 April.
Louisville mayor Craig Greenberg criticised state laws that mean the weapon will be sold at auction.
“The assault rifle that was used to murder five of our neighbours and shoot at police officers will one day be auctioned off,” he said.
“Think about that. That murder weapon will be back on the streets one day under Kentucky’s current law.”
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‘An evil act of targeted violence’ – mayor
Police chief Ms Gwinn-Villaroel did not give an indication of the gunman’s motive, but said they had never dealt with him before.
Those killed have been named as Joshua Barrick, 40, Deana Eckert, 57, Thomas Elliot, 63, Juliana Farmer, 45, and James Tutt, 64.
Officer Nickolas Wilt (centre) only recently finished training
Dr Jason Smith, chief medical officer at University of Louisville Health, was emotional when he spoke to the media and said he was “weary” of having to treat so many gun victims.
“There’s only so many times you can walk into a room and tell someone they’re not coming home tomorrow,” he said.
“It just breaks your heart when you hear someone screaming ‘mommy’ or ‘daddy’.'”
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‘I have a very close friend that didn’t make it’ – governor
Kentucky governor Andy Beshear said one of the dead, Thomas Elliot, was a close friend and had helped him “build him law career, helped me become governor, gave me advice on being a good dad”.
“He’s one of the people I talked to most in the world, and very rarely were we talking about my job. He was an incredible friend,” he said.
The Louisville incident came two weeks after three children and three staff were killed in a mass shooting at a school in Nashville, Tennessee.
The shooting, the 15th mass killing in the US this year, comes just two weeks after a former pupil killed three children and three adults at a Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee, about 160 miles to the south.
As the two most powerful countries in the world, the relationship between the United States and China is the most consequential of all bilateral ties.
Any change in interactions and behaviour by either side does not just impact security, economic activity and trade in Washington and Beijing, but also affects the rest of the planet.
President Xi Jinping chose to make this point publicly as he said hello – and presumably goodbye – to Joe Biden when the two men met on the sidelines of an economic forum in Peru in what was likely their last face-to-face sit down before the US leader hands the keys to the White House over to Donald Trump.
Joe Biden and Xi Jinping shaking hands in Peru earlier this week. Pic: Reuters
“As two major countries, China and the United States should bear in mind the interest of the whole world and inject more certainty and positive energy into the turbulent world,” Mr Xi said, speaking through a translator.
“It is my consistent belief that as the world’s most important bilateral relationship, a stable China-US relationship is critical not only to the interests of the Chinese and American peoples but also to the future and destiny of the entire humanity.”
Mr Biden, whose relationship with his opposite number does not just span his four years as president but also when he previously served as vice president under Barack Obama, also focused on the importance of dialogue.
“We haven’t always agreed, but our conversations have always been candid and always been frank,” he said, sitting at a long table, surrounded by aides, with Mr Xi opposite him.
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“I think that’s vital. These conversations prevent miscalculations, and they ensure the competition between our two countries will not veer into conflict. Be competition, not conflict.”
While clearly directed at him, it is doubtful that Mr Trump will heed the advice.
He has consistently criticised the Biden administration for being too soft on Beijing and has vowed to be much tougher – even saying he would impose 60% tariffs on Chinese imports.
The president-elect’s picks for top jobs in the White House, such as with China hawks Senator Marco Rubio as his desired secretary of state, and Representative Mike Walz as national security adviser, also point to a hardening in the US’ position on Beijing – which is on a trajectory to overtake Washington as the world’s number one superpower.
This moment of re-ordering in global dominance – something the UK was once forced to absorb when the sun set on the British Empire – is on course to happen regardless of who is in the White House.
But a more hostile and combative commander-in-chief in the White House makes it an increasingly perilous time for everyone.
It is perhaps why the current leaders in Beijing and Washington are so keen to stress that while their feelings towards one another go up and down, the ability to keep talking is critical.
Joe Biden has met with Xi Jinping for the last time as US president, where the Chinese leader said he is “ready to work” with Donald Trump.
Speaking at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Lima, Peru, Mr Biden said the US and China’s relationship should be about “competition, not conflict”.
“We haven’t always agreed, but our conversations have always been candid and always been frank,” he said.
“We’ve never kidded one another. These conversations prevent miscalculations, and they ensure the competition between our two countries will not veer into conflict.
“We’ve been level with one another. I think that’s vital.”
Their last-ever meeting comes as president-elect Donald Trump vows to introduce blanket 60% tariffs on US imports of Chinese goods as part of a series of “America First” trade measures.
Pic: Reuters
But despite Mr Trump’s proposed measures, Mr Xi said his country’s goal “of a stable, healthy and sustainable China-US relationship remains unchanged”.
“Our commitment to mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and… cooperation as principles for handling China-US relations remains unchanged,” he added.
The Chinese president then said the country is “ready to work with the new US administration to maintain communication, expand cooperation and manage differences, so as to strive for a steady transition”.
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Neither Mr Xi nor Mr Biden responded to a question about whether there were concerns about Mr Trump’s proposed tariffs.
The president-elect has also named several China hawks to his transition team, such as Senator Marco Rubio as secretary of state and Representative Mike Waltz as national security adviser.
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Under Mr Biden, Washington has introduced restrictions on US investment in Chinese artificial intelligence, quantum computing and semiconductors.
Former house speaker Nancy Pelosi also visited the island of Taiwan – which China views as a breakaway province – in April 2022.
In their meeting at this time last year – which followed a surge in tensions when an alleged Chinese spy balloon was shot down over the US – both leaders said direct communication between American and Chinese military forces would be restored.
Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson says the health scare in June, which forced the postponement of his boxing match with Jake Paul, almost cost him his life.
“I almost died in June,” Tyson wrote on X, adding that he “had 8 blood transfusions. Lost half my blood and 25lbs in hospital”.
The 58-year-old, who lost to the YouTuber-turned-boxer in a unanimous points decision in Texas, tweeted that the situation was far worse than people had realised.
Following Tyson’s recovery, after reportedly suffering an ulcer flareup, he reflected on the result of the fight.
“This is one of those situations when you lost but still won… no regrets to get in the ring one last time,” he said.
That contrasts with Tyson’s comments after the match in which he refused to confirm whether it would be his last fight.
“It depends on the situation,” Tyson said before suggesting a fight with Paul’s older brother, Logan Paul, who was standing near him in the ring.
Critics argued that the revised match – which involved fewer and shortened rounds, as well as heavier gloves – fell short of entertaining.
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Paul beats Tyson by unanimous decision
Some claimed it appeared more like a glorified sparring session.
It was Tyson’s first sanctioned pro bout since 2005, when he lost to Kevin McBride and then went into retirement – only briefly reappearing for an exhibition match in 2020 against Roy Jones Jr.
Jake Paul believes he can fight for a championship belt within two years. Pic: AP
Paul has plenty to prove
Paul, 27, still has plenty to prove. The social media influencer wants to be a championship fighter and compete for a championship belt within two years. “I think it could happen in the next 24 months,” Paul said.
“I truly, truly believe in my skills and my ability and my power. And the cruiserweight division is seemingly open for the taking on that timeline,” he added.
The only professional match he has lost so far has been to Tommy Fury, the less-accomplished brother of former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
But there are questions about when Paul will fight a contender in his prime, as opposed to former champions or mixed martial artists.
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Intriguingly, in the days before his fight with Tyson, Paul mentioned super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez, considered one of the best boxers in the world.
According to reports, the Texas bout earned Paul $40m (£31.7m) versus $20m (£15.8m) for Tyson.
Netflix said 60 million households worldwide viewed the contest on its streaming platform, and nearly 50 million tuned in to watch the undercard which saw Ireland’s Katie Taylor beat Puerto Rico’s Amanda Serrano.
Even so there were some technical glitches. More than 90,000 users reported problems on Netflix at its peak, according to the website Downdetector, which tracks outages.
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