Louisville Metro Police officers haven’t always had access to such high-powered firearms – a concern highlighted last April, when Officer Nick Wilt responded to a mass shooting downtown armed only with a handgun.

Louisville police face more hurdles to get an assault rifle for on-the-job use than a mass shooter like Connor Sturgeon, who legally bought his weapon four days earlier in a 40-minute transaction at a local gun dealer.

“Mental health texts” sent to his girlfriend were recovered from Connor Sturgeon’s phone and a “note or manifesto” was found in his home.