Four victims were killed and at least six more injured, including one police officer, after a gunman opened fire in downtown Louisville, police say, according to multiple outlets.
FBI Louisville special agents and Louisville Metro Police responded to reports of a shooting in downtown Louisville on Monday, advising the public to avoid the area. The shooting took place on the 300 block of East Main Street at the Old National Bank in the capital city around 8:30 a.m., NBC News reported.
After reportedly exchanging gunfire with law enforcement officers, the shooter was said to have been “down,” according to a source cited by CNN. Preliminary reports have indicated the shooting produced five casualties, all of whom were transported to the University of Louisville Hospital in unknown conditions, according to NBC. It was not clear whether the gunman is among those who were listed as casualties, according to the outlet.
Police later revealed to CNN that the shooter was dead and there was no longer an active threat in the area. The shooter is believed to have been a former or current employee at the bank, according to ABC News. Local outlet WVUA 23 reported that the shooter was a graduate of the University of Alabama and attended the school from 2016 to 2020.
BREAKING: An active shooting is underway at and around the Old National Bank in downtown Louisville. Details:
– Authorities say this is another ‘Mass casualty incident’. Multiple casualties confirmed.
– Officers heard yelling: “Active shooter at the bank” as he told traffic… pic.twitter.com/YRsVRzWcGq
— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) April 10, 2023
A witness told local outlet WDRB that she had dropped her son off at work before she found herself sitting at an intersection near the shooting. “I was at the stoplight, and the first thing that I saw — there was a guy across the street at the intersection and he was lying down at the entrance to a hotel,” the witness, identified only as Debbie, told the outlet.
Debbie said she initially believed the man was a jogger who had fallen until she realized he was lying on the steps and not on the sidewalk.
“As I was sitting at that intersection, gunfire erupted, like, right over my head,” she said, according to WDRB. “I didn’t know if it was going at the bank or out of the bank I took off. When I turned, I saw that one of the windows in the bank had been blown out.”
Debbie said police arrived on the scene not long after. “They were coming from everywhere,” she told the outlet. “The police were coming out of their cars with black rifles. I just ducked in my car and waited there.” (RELATED: ‘I’ll Kill You’: Video Shows Off-Duty Chicago Cop Fatally Shooting Man Who Reached For Her Gun)
The shooting was confirmed by Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, who announced on Twitter that he was headed to the site of the shooting. “Please pray for all of the families impacted and for the city of Louisville,” he added.