An emotional Beshear said he spoke to Elliott regularly and mourned his death.
“Today I am in pain, and I know so many people are too. We have lost four children of God,” Beshear said.
“Tommy Elliott helped me build my career as a lawyer, helped me become governor, gave me advice to be a good father. He’s one of the people I’ve talked to the most in the world, and very rarely did we talk about my job. He was an incredible friend.”
Officer Nickolas Wilt, 26, was shot in the head, underwent surgery and was in critical condition, Gwinn-Villaroel said. Wilt graduated from the police academy on March 31.
“I just sworn him in and his family was there to witness his journey to becoming a police officer,” said Gwinn-Villaroel.
The shooter may have had mental health issues, according to a federal law enforcement source notified of the attack.
JD Worley, the CEO of a medical device company across the street from Old National Bank, saw two police officers injured. One still managed to take cover and fire back, while the other appeared to be “motionless” and was being carried away by other officers, Worley said.
The rapid-fire gunfire blew out the floor-to-ceiling glass in the front of the bank, Worley said.
“I mean, it felt like I was watching an action movie in real life,” Worley told “NBC Nightly News.” “But this is just something that you see a lot on the news but never could have fathomed that I would ever see something like this happen, not just in my hometown, but right in front of my eyes.”
Nine people were taken to the University of Louisville Hospital, three were admitted in critical condition and three were released, officials said.
Police respond to a shooting in Louisville, Kentucky, on Monday.Luke Sharrett/Getty Images
The rapid response of officers has prevented more deaths and injuries, the Louisville Police Department said.
“It is clear from the response of the officers that they absolutely saved lives,” Deputy Chief Paul Humphrey said.
“This was a tragic event, but it was the heroic response of officers that ensured that no more people were injured more seriously than what happened.”
Mayor Craig Greenberg also thanked the officers for their lifesaving actions. Greenberg himself was nearly killed last year when a gunman entered his campaign office, opened fire and scraped his jersey.
“We are coming together as a community to prevent these heinous acts of violence from continuing here and around the state,” Greenberg said. “We are a safer community, we are a stronger community because of the work of our law enforcement officers.”
Police cars, ambulances and fire engines flooded Main Street between North Floyd and North Preston streets, in the heart of Kentucky’s largest city.
It was not immediately clear whether the bank employed a security guard.
“The safety of Old National Bank employees and everyone we serve in our banking center locations is paramount,” said Jim Ryan, CEO of Old National Bank said in a statement.
Ryan called for “everyone affected by this tragedy to be kept in our thoughts and prayers”.
The incident took place in the shadow of Slugger fieldhome of the Cincinnati Reds Triple-A affiliate, the Louisville Bats.
That team was out of town On Monday, the police used the stadium as a base to hear witnesses there.
And as police responded to Old National Bank, some officers had to retreat before another shooting just a mile away, at Jefferson Community and Technical College, officials said.
The two attacks were unrelated, and classes at the school were cancelledofficials said.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and his wife, Elaine Chaothanked the police on Monday for their prompt and courageous work.
“Elaine and I are devastated by the news coming out of Louisville this morning,” McConnell said said in a statement. “Thank you to LMPD and our first responders for your bravery on the ground. We send our prayers to the victims, their families and the City of Louisville as we await more information.”
President Joe Biden said he and first lady Jill Biden were praying for the victims.
“Again, our nation mourns a senseless act of gun violence. … Too many Americans are paying the price of inaction with their lives,” said Biden in a statement. “When Will Republicans in Congress Step Up to Protect Our Communities?”
Monday’s gunfire was the last mass shooting in America. It happened just two weeks after six people, including three young children, were shot at a private Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee.
There have been several other cases of mass workplace shootings in the past five months:
Monday’s gunfire also brought back unpleasant memories for longtime Louisville residents who remember September 14, 1989, when disgruntled employee Joseph Wesbecker went to the Standard Engraving printing house with an AK-47 and killed eight people.
Wesbecker, 47, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on the spot.
Morgan Chesky reported from Louisville, Andrew Blankstein from Los Angeles, and David K. Li from New York City.
Chloe Atkins, Ken Dilanian, Colin Sheeley, Polly DeFrank, Maggie Vespa, Jackeline Pou and Jonathan Dienst contributed.
