'It is our moral responsibility' | More than 90 city, state leaders pen letter calling for action after Louisville mass shooting

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- More than 90 city leaders have penned a letter calling for action after a gunman opened fire at Old National Bank in downtown Louisville Monday morning, killing five employees.

Tommy Elliott, Josh Barrick, Jim Tutt, Juliana Farmer and Deana Eckert were killed by a bank employee armed with an AR-15 rifle who opened fire at his workplace just after 8:30 a.m. The shooter, 25-year-old Connor Sturgeon, was killed by Louisville Metro Police. Eight other people were injured, including LMPD officers Nickolas Wilt and Cory Galloway.

Wilt, who was just sworn in as an officer after graduating from the police academy March 31, was among the wounded, with a gunshot wound to the head. The 26-year-old was taken to University of Louisville Hospital, where he underwent brain surgery. He remains there in critical condition.

Galloway was also injured, but was treated and released from the hospital.

As of 4:53 p.m., three victims remained hospitalized, including Wilt. The other two patients, according to University of Louisville Hospital, are in "fair" condition. Five others who were hurt in the shooting have since been released from the hospital.

Monday's violence led roughly 91 community leaders, from local activists and Metro Council members, to lawmakers and local faith leaders, to come together and issue a statement calling for action as the community processes "this tragedy together."

"In Louisville, we are completely heartbroken and fed up with the senseless gun violence which we continue to see almost daily in our city. It is essential that we each stand up, be counted, and together create a chorus of voices calling for getting assault weapons and guns off the streets. Together we can find the path forward to prevent all forms of shootings, including mass shootings. Each of our daily actions must constantly value and care for all of life, human and natural! It is our moral responsibility to insist daily that we immediately stop all cruel, senseless and inhumane violence and cruelties. We must reflect the best spirit of our beloved city and State calling for major action to create a safer and healthier Louisville and Kentucky

Today, we have lost more Louisvillians who should not be dead. We’ve lost more fathers, more mothers, more friends, more family members, more leaders in our community. We must act immediately and stop the cruel and senseless violence.

With Love for Our City and All Those We Have Lost,"

Greg Abernathy

Mikus Abolins-Abols and Natalie Christian

Anne Arensberg

Representative Cassie Chambers Armstrong

Mary Berry

Wendell and Tanya Berry

Turney Berry

Aruni Bhatnagar

Regina Blake

Representative Tina Bojanowski

Nina Bonnie

Christina Lee Brown

Garvin Brown

Owsley Brown III and Victoire Brown

Representative Beverly Chester Burton

David Y. Chack

Alfonso "Al" Cornish and Yvonne Austin-Cornish

Reverend Kevin Cosby

oSha Cowley-Shireman

Sarah Lynn Cunningham

Archbishop Shelton Fabre

Robert Barry Fleming

Sandra Frazier

Jamie and Sydney Goldsmith

John and Mary Moss Greenebaum

Representative Daniel Grossberg

Ali Haider

Ed and Bernadette S. Hamilton

Audwin and Rae Helton

Representative Keturah Herron

Alice and Wade Houston

Barbara Lynne Jamison

Former Minority Leader Joni Jenkins

Dr. Ricky Jones

Anne Clay Kenan

Heather Kleisner, Esmé Tyler and Levi Tyler

Representative Nima Kulkarni

Nana Lampton

Clest and Chuck Lanier

Deborah LaPorte and Paul LaPorte

Keith Logan

Todd Lowe

Lois Mateus

Tori Murden McClure

Congressman Morgan McGarvey

Sister Claire McGowan

William "Beaver" McMahan

Senate Minority Leader Gerald Neal

Mary Nixon

Will Oldham

Timothy D. Peters and Susan Taylor Peters

Lyndon Pryor

Rick and Von Purdy

Sadiqa Reynolds

Ambassador Theodore Sedgwick

Kevin and Ivvy Shurn

Anthony Smith

Ted and Jane Smith

Rebecca T Smith and Ali Ahmad-Hukle

Ted Steinbock and Sarah Martin

Bishop John Stowe

Julia Taylor

Gordon Tobin and Elisabeth Tobin

Matt Wallace

Megan Webb

Representative Lisa Willner

Dawn Wilson

Aaron and Sarah Yarmuth

Congressman John and Cathy Yarmuth

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear on Tuesday called for Kentuckians to support the victims' families. 

"Yesterday was a hard day for Louisville, for the commonwealth, but most especially for the families and friends of Tommy, Josh, Jim, Juliana and Deana," Beshear said. "We miss them, we love them and we need to make sure we are there for their families in the weeks and years ahead."

Beshear asked everyone to be there for the family and friends of the victims. He also asked everyone to check on their own friends and family members.

For ways to help victims and their families, click here.

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