Nickolas Wilt: Louisville cop shot in head while trying to take down mass shooter was just sworn in
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers' discretion advised
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY: A brave police officer was shot in the head after running toward the shooter during the mass shooting inside Old National Bank in Louisville, Kentucky, on Monday, April 10. Officer Nickolas Wilt, 26, of the Louisville Metro Police Department had been sworn in just a week ago and is reportedly fighting for his life in a hospital. His condition is said to be critical but stable.
The mass shooting occurred downtown where Old National Bank is located, where gunman Connor Sturgeon, 25, opened fire, killing four people, Tommy Elliott, 63, Joshua Barrick, 40, James 'Jim' Tutt, 64, and Juliana Farmer, 57, and wounding nearly a dozen people. Sturgeon, who was also fatally shot in a brief exchange of gunfire with police, had just learned he was to be fired from the bank when he unleashed a hail of bullets.
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Who is Nickolas Wilt?
Wilt had graduated from the police academy just over a week ago, said his LMPD interim chief Jaquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel. The 26-year-old was shot in the head execution-style after running toward the 25-year-old gunmen inside the bank. He was taken to nearby University of Louisville Hospital, where he underwent brain surgery and is now fighting for his life. Wilt was sworn in March 31 and was in his second week on the job, Villaroel said. "I just swore him in," the police chief said at a press conference.
“One of the worst moments in a police chief’s tenure [is] to hear that any of your officers have been injured,” she added. “It rots my world to have anyone injured and losing their life,” reports New York Post. The department tweeted a photo of the injured cop, saying, “Officer Nickolas Wilt, a new officer to the LMPD, ran towards the gunfire today to save lives. He remains in critical condition after being shot in the head.”
'It was the heroic response of officers'
Sturgeon is believed to have carried out the deadly mass shooting in rage after learning he was about to be fired from the bank, according to CNN. He allegedly left a note for his parents and a friend, explaining his intention and bidding his final goodbye. Deputy Police Chief Paul Humphrey had earlier said the actions of the responding officers undoubtedly saved lives. “This is a tragic event,” he said. “But it was the heroic response of officers that made sure that no more people were more seriously injured than what happened,” he added.
