On April 11th, 2023, a 25-year-old gunman opened fire on innocent civilians at an Old National Bank in Louisville, Kentucky. Five individuals were murdered during the warfare: Joshua Barrick, Deana Eckert, Tommy Elliot, Juliana Farmer, and James Tutt. The shooter was Connor Sturgeon, a mentally ill man.

The story of the shooting began a week earlier, when Sturgeon legally bought a rifle from a local Louisville gun dealership. Sturgeon also has a history of mental health issues that his family was aware of; in a statement from WDRB news, they said, “while Connor, like many of his contemporaries, had mental health challenges which we, as a family, were actively addressing, there were never any warning signs or indications he was capable of this shocking act.”

The shooting began at 8:30 a.m. as Connor Sturgeon opened fire with his rifle inside the old national bank. At 8:38 AM on that fateful Monday morning, witnesses called 911, alerting them of the shooting. Officers quickly showed up and began a firefight. Officer Corey Gallaway gunned down the assailant, ending the violent attack on Louisville’s people.

Connor Sturgeon murdered five people. Joshua Barrick was the Vice President of Commercial Real Estate at the bank. He had a family and volunteered as a basketball coach for second graders. Tommy Elliot was the senior vice president at Old National Bank. Everyone knew him as a bright man who had a knack for seeing the best in people. Deana Eckhart was known by her peers as a kind soul. Juliana Farmer was a loan analyst at Old National Bank; she was known for loving life and had a grandchild due in September. Finally, there is James Tutt, a market executive from Old National Bank. His biggest passion was growing the Downtown Louisville area—the place where he would eventually be brutally murdered.

Immediately after the shooting took place, many Kentucky government officials took to holding press conferences. Craig Greenberg, the Mayor of Louisville, said, “Let us, the people of Louisville, make our own choices about how we reduce gun violence in our city.” The Governor of Kentucky spoke about his own personal losses in the tragedy, as his close friend Tommy Elliot was murdered. “Tommy Elliott helped me build my law career, helped me become governor, and gave me advice on being a good dad.”

No matter what side of the gun control issue you are on, we should all agree that this incident should be about mourning and honoring the memories of the victims, not for political gain.