Global Courant 2023-04-27 17:08:36
Todd and Lisa Sturgeon knew their son had mental health problems. But before Connor Sturgeon, 25, opened fire on a bank in downtown Louisville, they never fathomed he could commit such a heinous act.
“I’m afraid whatever we come up with as the cause, it still won’t add up,” Todd Sturgeon told NBC News’ Savannah Guthrie in an exclusive “TODAY” show interview that aired Thursday.
Lisa Sturgeon said she and her husband saw no signs of violence before their son, an Old National Bank employee on East Main Street, walked into his workplace and began firing bullets from an AR-15-style rifle, killing five people. killed and injured eight others.
The violence sent shockwaves through Louisville, Kentucky, and across the US, where mass shootings in everyday places have become sickeningly commonplace. The Louisville carnage came just 14 days after a 28-year-old shot and killed six people at a Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee.
“We had no real indications that something like this could have happened,” said Lisa Sturgeon. “There was no clear story.”
More than two weeks after the shooting, the Sturgeons are beset by emotions. There is confusion, grief, heartbreak for the families of their son’s victims and grief over the loss of their child, who was killed by police in a gunfire.
“It would have been bad enough if we had just lost our son,” said Lisa Sturgeon. “But for him to take others — with him — it’s just — it’s beyond what we’ve taught him, the way we live. We always say do no harm. He didn’t.”
Todd Sturgeon said he and his wife were afraid to even talk to the news media. “We are concerned that we are unintentionally being disrespectful to the families,” he said. They try to find the right time to reach out to their son’s victims in a way that feels “respectful.”
When asked what they would say if they had the chance to speak directly to the families, Lisa Sturgeon said: “We are so sorry. We are heartbroken. We wish we could undo it, but we know we can’t.”
Josh Barrick, 40; Deana Eckert, 57; Tommy Elliott, 63; Juliana Boer, 45; and Jim Tutt, 64, were killed in the violence.
From left to top James Tutt, Juliana Farmer and Deana Eckert. From left, bottom, Tommy Elliott, Joshua Barrick.via Facebook; through LinkedIn
The families of four of the victims declined to comment.
Jeffrey Barrick, Joshua’s brother, said, “A husband was kidnapped, a father was kidnapped, a brother and son were kidnapped. He did nothing to earn this, he just went to work one day, just like all of us. It the fact that anyone can walk in and buy a semi-automatic weapon, with the sole purpose of killing many in seconds, is just plain wrong.
“Enough is enough. Doing nothing is not an option. We deserve to be safe in our communities – be it at the bank, the supermarket, our schools or wherever. We are just heartbroken, this didn’t have to happen .”
Two of the eight injured were police officers, including Nikolas Wilt, who is still recovering from a gunshot wound to the head.
Mental health problems
Todd and Lisa Sturgeon said their son’s mental health problems seemed to have started a year ago in the form of panic attacks and anxiety. He went to a psychiatrist and a psychologist and took medication. Connor’s problems seemed to improve.
But in the days leading up to the shooting, things seemed to be changing.
“He called me on the Tuesday before the event… and he said, ‘I had a panic attack yesterday and… I had to leave work,’” Lisa Sturgeon recalls. She said she asked her son what might have triggered the panic attack and he wasn’t sure.
She remembered telling him, “We’re here to help you.”
Lisa Sturgeon wanted to see her son. She had lunch with him the next morning. She then made an appointment with his psychiatrist for that Thursday, five days before the shooting. All three Sturgeons met with the psychiatrist via video conference.
By the end of the session, it looked like Connor was “coming out of the crisis,” remembers Lisa Sturgeon.
The last time the sturgeon saw their son was the day before the shooting – Easter Sunday. Todd Sturgeon saw his son join the Easter egg hunt that afternoon. Connor watched the Masters with a friend that night. He seemed “fine” to his mother.
Five days earlier, their son had bought a gun.
A phone call, then a terrible shock
On the morning of the shooting, Lisa Sturgeon received a call from her son’s roommate. Connor had told his roommate he was going to “go in and shoot Old National.”
The roommate found some notes Connor had left, Lisa Sturgeon recalled. She was shocked to learn that her son had a gun. She remembered thinking, “Where did he get a gun?” We have no weapons.”
The moments that followed the call were surreal, a blur of disbelief and panic. When asked about her state of mind at the time, Lisa Sturgeon said, “This can’t possibly happen. Please stop him. Make sure no one gets hurt.
“This can’t be happening,” she recalled thinking.
Todd Sturgeon was driving his car when he heard a shot had been fired on the bank. “You go from praying for his life to praying that this is unimaginable, that he just kills himself and doesn’t hurt anyone else,” he said.
Lisa Sturgeon rushed to the scene and called 911. But by then Connor Sturgeon was already at the bank.
“He punished others,” said Lisa Sturgeon. “He took the lives of others.”
The need for change
Connor Sturgeon bought his AR-15 style weapon legally. His parents think that he should ‘absolutely’ not have done that.
“What we hope to do is start a conversation about this,” said Todd Sturgeon. “I think the vast majority of Americans don’t want people in a deranged state holding a gun.
“Now it becomes more complicated to thread the needle and protect ourselves from those people while still being aware of individual rights and freedoms,” he added.
The Sturgeons don’t necessarily have specific policy solutions in mind. But they know something has to change in the US
“How many shootings have there already been this calendar year? It’s happened to other people like us, and we keep letting it happen,” said Lisa Sturgeon, “and we need to fix that.
In their grief, the Sturgeons are also consumed with guilt.
“Well-meaning people keep saying to us, ‘You know, you did what reasonable parents would have done.’ But Connor, in his darkest hour, needed us to be exceptional, not reasonable — and we let him down,” said Todd Sturgeon.
“We failed those people,” said Lisa Sturgeon.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
You can also call the network, formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, text HOME at 741741, or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.
