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'This person murdered my friend': Kentucky Gov Andy Beshear holds back tears discussing Tommy Elliott's death in Louisville shooting

'This person murdered my friend. But still, I can't imagine what his parents must be feeling right now,' said Governor Andy Beshear in a television interview

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY: Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear was recently caught struggling to fight back tears during a television interview as he remembered one of his close friends who died along with four others in the Louisville bank shooting on Monday, April 10. Beshear, one of only two Democratic governors in the South, has made no secret of his indignation over the death of Tommy Elliott, 63, a friend and former campaign manager, who died in the tragic incident.

He also expressed sympathy for the parents of the killer, 25-year-old Connor Sturgeon, while holding back tears. "This person murdered my friend. But still, I can't imagine what his parents must be feeling right now," Beshear said to CNN Wednesday, April 12. The gunman worked at the Old National for two years as a syndications associate and portfolio banker before being gunned down by LMPD officer Cory Galloway. 

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What did Governor Andy Beshear say in his interview?

Kaitlan Collin, CNN's chief correspondent, posted the interview with the Kentucky Gov Andy Beshear on Twitter and wrote in the caption, "I’ve just returned from Louisville, where we sat down with Gov. Andy Beshear in an emotional and raw interview as his state is the latest to face a mass shooting. He’s not only leading the city in mourning, he's personally grieving."

Sturgeon barged into a conference room at the bank on E Main St. brandishing an AR-15 weapon approximately 30 minutes before the branch's public opening. Senior vice president of the bank Elliott gave $2,000 to Beshear's gubernatorial campaign in 2018 and had given to numerous Democratic candidates over the years. He sat on Beshear's inaugural committee in 2019 and was well-known in local and state Democratic circles.

'Man, he had a great smile'

However, Beshear did not want people to perceive him in that way during the interview on Wednesday. "Man, he had a great smile. His eyes lit up. Loved life. Was always into something. Trying to make the city a better place, he was just always into something," he mentioned. He wanted people to remember Elliott as a devoted husband and father, emphasizing that it was he who had informed Elliott's wife that he died. "I knew it would be hours before others could call her. And I thought she deserved to know, and we're close right now to where I made that call," he stated.

'He was trying to plan for me'

Beshear, who is up for reelection in 2023 in the strongly Republican state of Kentucky, added that he and Elliott were preparing a plan for the Democrat's future when he left his position as governor. "He was trying to plan for me for when I'm done being governor, which was something that I hoped we could eventually plan for together," Beshear stated. "An amazing human being, a loving dad."

'I don't want another family to go through this'

Beshear stated that while he supported "red flag" gun laws, which allow the courts to seize firearms from anyone deemed to be a danger to themselves or others, he didn't see it as possible while Republicans are in control of the legislature. Although he acknowledged it might not have stopped Sturgeon from going on his rampage, it might still be useful in the future. "At least it lets us stop that next individual – at least when we know – before they murder people," he stated. "And, listen, I know people will say that wouldn't have stopped this situation. And it probably wouldn't have. Maybe it will the next one. I don't want another family to go through this." Some Twitter users predictably seemed unconvinced, with one stating, "Ok nice, and what he is proposing?"

But most seemed to agree with his solution, calling him the 'best'. A user tweeted, "He’s the best. My heart aches so much for our Governor and the city I love ." Another user wrote, "Andy is the best governor we’ve had in a long time!" One person wrote, "The governor makes a lot of sense even during his time of grief." One person mentioned, "Beagle is a truly empathetic human. To be mourning his friend yet be saying imagine how the parents of the shooter feel!!. That’s remarkable." One user wrote, "The inability to resolve this destructive and corrupt internal problem is weakening this country." But one tweet called him out for not speaking up sooner. "Why did he have to wait until gun violence affected him personally to speak up?!?!" it read.

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