Connor Sturgeon: Photo from months ago shows Louisville mass shooter smiling beside co-worker who survived the attack
Warning: Graphic content, readers’ discretion advised
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY: A photo of the Louisville mass shooter with his co-workers from months ago has emerged where he is seen posing with a smile beside a co-worker who survived the horrifying massacre on Monday morning, April 10. The picture from September 2022 shows Connor Sturgeon at a construction site during volunteer work organized by the Old National Bank where he had been employed since 2021.
The 23-year-old gunman is seated next to two men where they are dressed in blue T-shirts bearing the slogan 'Better Together.' Troy Haste, who is the regional account executive of the bank, is seen sitting far right in the picture and is one of the survivors of the shooting. Officials identified the five victims of the massacre as Joshua Barrick, 40, Juliana Farmer, 45, Deanna Eckert, 57, Thomas Elliott, 63, and Jim Tutt, 64, reported New York Post.
RELATED ARTICLES
Connor Sturgeon: Louisville shooter texted friend he would 'kill everyone at the bank'
Who is Connor Sturgeon's mother? Louisville killer's mom and brother tried to help cops
'Whoever was next to me got shot, their blood’s on me'
During the brutal slaughter, Haste was in the first-floor conference room. He said that the gunman walked into the bank and began firing. Talking to WHAS11, Haste who was visibly terrified after the shooting showed dried blood droplets on his shirt and said, "He just started firing. I didn’t see his face. We were in the conference room. Whoever was next to me got shot, their blood’s on me."
Haste took shelter in a break room and was able to see Sturgeon's rampage while he live-streamed the shooting on Instagram. Haste then ran to safety as he came out of the Preston Pointe building.
What was Sturgeon's motive behind the shooting?
Five people were fatally shot and eight others injured in the rampage where Sturgeon was shot dead during a confrontation with police officers who responded to the harrowing scene in Louisville's downtown area at 8.30 am before the bank was opened to the public. Among the injured victims are two police officers. One of the officers is listed as critical at the hospital where he underwent surgery.
Though police are yet to determine Sturgeon's motive for the mass killing, CNN reported that the gunman learned that the bank was about to fire him. Sturgeon reportedly sent a message to his friend and left a note for his parents about his plan for the bank shooting.