By Dylan Lovan, Rebecca Reynolds and John Raby -
The Associated Press
The police published this Wednesday the desperate calls of some witnesses to the mass shooting at a bank in Louisville (Kentucky), including that of the attacker's mother, who notified an operator of the 911 emergency number: "He has a weapon and is going to" the bank.
"I need your help. He has never hurt anyone, he is a good boy," said the woman, who identified herself as the shooter's mother.
None of the callers are identified by name.
Some parts of the recordings were cut by the police before they were released.
The first 911 call was made by a woman who was on a video call inside the bank when the attack began.
The person screams and cries throughout the four minutes of the call, saying there is an attacker inside the bank's branch, located in downtown Louisville.
Technicians with the Louisville Metropolitan Police take photos of bullet holes in the front glass of the Old National Bank, in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, Monday, April 10, 2023.AP
"I just saw him at the Teams meeting [Microsoft's program for video calls]," the woman is heard saying.
"We were in a [bank] committee meeting, with our commercial team."
"We heard multiple shots and everyone started saying 'Oh my God' and then he [the shooter] walked into the committee room," he explains.
The Louisville massacre was committed with an AR-15 rifle purchased legally just six days earlier
April 11, 202301:00
Connor Sturgeon, 25, a bank employee, used an AR-15-style rifle in Monday's attack at the Old National Bank,
killing five work colleagues
, and broadcast the attack live online.
Sturgeon was shot down by the police.
Eight people were injured, including a police officer who was shot in the head and remains hospitalized in critical condition.
[“Tommy was the sweetest person”: what is known about the victims of the shooting in a Louisville bank]
After the first 911 call, others began to arrive.
One of the people called from inside the building.
In the recording, numerous shots are heard in the background.
"I'm hiding in a closet," says the woman and explains that several people have been shot,
she gives a description of the attacker and says that she knows him.
"Work with us".
A police officer walks past the home of a suspect in the Louisville, Kentucky, bank attack, Monday, March 10, 2022.AP
"How long will it take to arrive?" she asks in a low voice, and the operator tells her that the authorities are on their way and advises her to be quiet.
When asked about the type of injuries to the victims, the woman replies: "I don't know. I
just saw a lot of blood."
[One in 5 adults has been threatened with a weapon in the US, according to a survey]
Another person who called from inside the bank and gave operators the address of the place, says: "We have an attacker in the building. A white man. He is an employee of the Old National Bank. Come here. We need someone now same".
A motorist who was driving down Main Street called and reported that he had seen a man with a rifle and a bulletproof vest walking around.
Officer shot in the head in Louisville shooting remains in critical condition
April 11, 202302:00
"How long ago did you see that?" the operator asks. The caller says about five minutes and asks: Has anyone else reported this? I hope in God's name they're imagining it.
The operator describes what other people have said the attacker was wearing, and the caller confirms this.
"Did you see him shooting or something like that?" asks the operator.
"No, ma'am. He was like running, as if he was trying to get somewhere fast," explains the person who made the call, but he cannot give her the direction the attacker was going.
Louisville mayor calls deadly bank shooting 'a malevolent act'
April 11, 202300:42
The woman who identified herself as Sturgeon's mother asks during the call if she can go to the bank
, but the operator tells her she shouldn't "because there's a situation going on there" and it's "dangerous."
"You've been getting calls from other people, so he's there already?" the mother asks, her voice cracking.
[Three dead, including a minor, after shooting at a Florida home where police responded for domestic violence]
The recordings released Wednesday include a half hour of radio communications from the emergency response system.
Authorities released the recordings hours before a vigil at the Mohamed Ali Center to remember the victims and allow the public to pray for the injured.
Two of those killed in the Louisville shooting were friends of the governor.
This is known about the attacker
April 10, 202302:11
"This is a difficult time for the city, and we are not supposed to go through this difficult time alone," Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said in a statement.
Police on Tuesday released video from their officers' cameras showing the chaotic minutes as they arrive at the bank as the attacker, who they cannot see, opens fire on them.
[State of Florida Approves Concealed, Loaded, and Unlicensed Weapons]
Paul Humphrey, deputy chief of the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department, explained the edited videos and photos of the attack to reporters during a news conference and praised the officers for their heroism.
Sturgeon's parents said in a statement that their son had mental health issues
that were being addressed, but that "there were never any signs or indications that he would be capable of such a shocking act."
They stated that they were mourning the victims and the loss of their son, and that they were working with the police to understand what had happened.
The parents of the Louisville attacker recognize the work of the police and regret the tragedy
April 12, 202300:25
The shooting, the 15th mass shooting in the country this year
, comes two weeks after Audrey Hale, who had studied at a Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee, killed three children and three adults at the school, about 160 miles (260 kilometers) south of Louisville.
The slain bank workers are Joshua Barrick, 40, a senior vice president at the bank;
Deana Eckert (57), executive administrator;
Tommy Elliot (63), also a senior vice president;
Juliana Farmer (45), a loan analyst, and Jim Tutt Jr. (64), a commercial real estate executive.
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The vigil on Wednesday was scheduled for 5:00 pm.
"We are asking people to come together to share our strength, pray for those who are fighting for their lives after Monday's attack, remember those who have been hit by gun violence in our city, and together, let's start working on a safe future where we actually prevent gun violence instead of constantly reacting to it," Greenberg said in a statement.