© John Sommers/PI/ShutterstockSturgeon joined the Old National Bank in 2021 but executives were reported to have lost confidence in him as he struggled to fit in and had reportedly decided to let him go, although his family's lawyer denies that
Louisville bank shooter Connor Sturgeon wrote a chilling manifesto before slaughtering five senior executives at the branch where he worked, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal.
The 13-page missive describes his goals before the horror at the downtown Old National Bank, where the 25-year-old livestreamed the massacre on Instagram as he gunned down co-workers at their morning conference.
Sturgeon made three key points in the manifesto, which is in the hands of the police: he wanted to kill himself, he wanted to prove how easy it was to buy a gun in Kentucky and he wanted to highlight a mental health crisis in America.
The mass-murderer legally purchased an AR-15 assault rifle on April 4, six days before he entered the bank at 8:33am where he was met by a friendly woman colleague at the entrance. He told her 'you need to get out of here' before he tried to shoot her.
© LMPDSturgeon is pictured in surveillance footage, casually dressed while holding an AR-15-style rifle. According to his manifesto, the shooting was also intended to be a suicide mission for the gunman, who was suffering from mental health problems
It is not known if she was one of those killed. They have been named as Juliana Farmer, 57, Tommy Elliott, 63, Joshua Barrick, 40, James Tutt, 64, and mother-of-two Deana Eckert, 57.
The shooter also got his suicide wish when he was killed in an exchange of gunfire with one of two cops who arrived at the scene minutes later.
Sturgeon's family revealed the commercial development specialist had mental health problems and was on medication.
He joined the bank in 2021 but executives were reported to have lost confidence in him as he struggled to fit in. However his family's attorney has told DailyMail.com that he did not face losing his job.
However, amid discussions with bosses, the University of Alabama finance graduate bought the AR-15 in a state that does not require any form of firearms permit for eligible adults.
Additionally, there are no Kentucky laws prohibiting residents buying a gun if they have mental health disorders, violent misdemeanor convictions, domestic abuse-related restraining orders or anyone with substance abuse disorders.
Under another Kentucky law, the firearm will now be auctioned off to the public by state police, effectively putting it back in circulation.
The family responded to the policy in a statement shared with DailyMail.com on Thursday:
'The Sturgeon family was aghast to learn Kentucky law mandated the assault rifle used in the horrific event last week be sold to the highest bidder at public auction.
'The family, in conjunction with the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) and the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), is working vigorously to ensure the assault rifle is legally destroyed and the first step in this process occurred Monday, when ATF took possession of the assault rifle. We genuinely appreciate the assistance of both LMPD and ATF in this regard.
'This tragedy is yet another indication that meaningful, common sense gun safety measures must be enacted. We respectfully urge the Kentucky state legislature to lead the way by changing Kentucky law to remove the gun auction provision.'
© LInkedInConner Sturgeon, 25, left a chilling voicemail message to a friend saying that he felt 'suicidal' and planned to 'kill everyone at the bank' police dispatch audio has revealed
But he later received a note from Sturgeon indicating he was going to open fire in the bank, a law enforcement source told CNN. The killer wrote a similar note to his parents.
Additionally, Sturgeon left a chilling voicemail to Whalen - who he had met at college - saying he felt 'suicidal' and planned 'to kill everyone at the bank', a police dispatch audio has revealed.
The audio also revealed police were approached by Sturgeon's mother Lisa and younger brother Cameron at the scene after the rampage.
According to the tape on scanner app Broadcastify, an officer says: '25-year-old white male, Connor Sturgeon 6' 4'. He's texted a friend, called a friend, left a voicemail saying he's gonna kill everyone at the bank. Feeling suicidal.'
Sturgeon's distraught family issued a statement a day later saying: 'No words can express our sorrow, anguish, and horror at the unthinkable harm our son Connor inflicted on innocent people, their families, and the entire Louisville community.
'We mourn their loss and that of our son, Connor. We pray for everyone traumatized by his senseless acts of violence and are deeply grateful for the bravery and heroism of the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department.
'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.
'While we have many unanswered questions, we will continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement officials and do all we can to aid everyone in understanding why and how this happened.'
Housemate Whalen has been cooperating with police, his lawyer has said. 'It was an unknown and surprising to Dallas as everybody,' the attorney added.
The Sturgeon family's attorney, Peter Palmer, told DailyMail.com that the killer suffered from depression and a history of anxiety and was receiving professional mental health care as well as medication.
© LMPDPolice body cam footage of the bank
Workers inside the building have since described how they fled from the blood-soaked scene and scrambled to the vault to hide from the killer as he rampaged through the building.
One bank employee told local TV station WHAS that they saw a man with a 'long assault rifle' fire multiple shots near the conference room.
'He just started firing,' the unnamed employee said. 'I didn't see his face. We were in the conference room.'
But a manager told how she witnessed her colleagues being murdered live on a Microsoft Teams session. Rebecca Buchheit-Sims said her meeting was already in progress by the time Sturgeon entered the room.
'I'm just in shock and was in disbelief as I watched it unravel,' she told CNN, adding it 'happened very quickly'.
She said she did not work with Sturgeon, but knew him because his father was her son's high school basketball coach — and her husband was an assistant coach.
The bank manager described Sturgeon as someone with 'just kind of a monotone personality'.
'His temperament is pretty low-key. I've never seen the kid get angry or upset about anything in public,' she said. 'He was pretty much just relaxed.'
Buchheit-Sims said she was unaware of any threats or issues, but noted that Sturgeon was extremely intelligent.'.
Sturgeon left his parents' home in Greenville, Indiana, and moved to Louisville 17 miles away in 2022 to live with Whalen.
Neighbors said the pair were unassuming and did not cause problems.
'Can't say anything bad about the guy,' said one, Kera Allgeir. 'Very quiet, soft spoken... I just don't understand.' Her husband Michael said he 'seemed like a real normal dude'.
Why did they kill him?
Guys (?) like this should be forced to watch and listen to Trump speeches for days on end, ala 'A Clockwork Orange'