In emotional pleas, Louisville mayor asks legislators for ‘help’ after mass shooting

April 11, 2023

Hannah Woosley-Collins,

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WTVQ) — Amid a somber press briefing Tuesday following a mass shooting that killed five people in Kentucky’s largest city, Louisville mayor Craig Greenberg pleaded for help from the state’s legislature and Congress to do “more than we’ve already done.”

A 25-year-old gunman took the lives of five people and wounded eight others at Old National Bank before he was shot and killed by Louisville Metro police. The gunman, whom ABC 36 has chosen to only name in one previously posted story, legally purchased the AR-15 used in the shooting from a local store on April 4, according to Interim Police Chief Jackie Gwinn-Villaroel. He was a current employee of the bank, which allowed him access to the building.

UofL Health, which is treating the shooting victims, used over 170 units of blood from the American Red Cross.

As of 11 a.m., four people remain in the hospital, including rookie police officer Nickolas Wilt who was one of the first at the scene of the shooting.

Wilt did not hesitate, Gwinn-Villaroel said, adding that he and another officer, Cory Galloway, “stopped the threat so other lives could be saved.” Wilt was shot in the head and is still in critical condition.

Body cam footage of the shooting will be released this afternoon.

In response to the shooting, Greenberg detailed two requests for lawmakers.

Here’s everything we know.

About the shooter

The 25-year-old employee of the bank legally purchased the AR-15 used in the shooting from a local store on April 4. Because he was a current employee, he had access to the building before it opened to the public.

The entire shooting occurred on the first floor of the bank before he was killed.

After the shooting, a search warrant was conducted on his home and “items” were recovered, though police said they will not elaborate on how many items or what kinds of items they discovered.

About the investigation

Two investigations are underway:

One between the shooter and the bank employees
One between the shooter and the LMPD officers

As of now, there’s no information on whether there were armed guards at the bank.

Amid circulations that the shooter was set to be fired or was already fired, Greenberg said an “official at the bank” told him that wasn’t the case.

Congressman Morgan McGarvey’s response

McGarvey, who represents Kentucky’s 3rd congressional district that includes Louisville, said this is an “unimaginable tragedy for our community” but that we need to “take grief and turn it into action.”

McGarvey proposed universal background checks, taking “weapons of war off of our streets” and helping people who are in crisis before it’s too late.

He said policies need to be put in place so that “thoughts and prayers do not need to be offered to yet another community ripped apart by guns.”

Greenberg’s requests

Greenberg, a shooting survivor, touched on the 40 lives lost in Louisville so far this year to gun violence.

He said while long-term action is being taken, the city needs help from lawmakers in both Frankfort and Washington, D.C. for quicker action.

He’s requesting the following moving forward:

For local decisions to be made to address local issues
- Greenberg is asking for Louisville to have the autonomy to deal with its “unique gun violence epidemic” compared to other Kentucky cities. He’s asking for the city to be able to enact its own policies
For guns used in killings to be destroyed
- Greenberg says in current Kentucky law, guns like the one used in yesterday’s mass shooting will be auctioned off and “back on the streets”
- He’s asking for the ability to destroy guns used in killings

“This isn’t about partisan politics, this is about life and death,” he said, before finishing with a warning:

“You may think this may never happen to you…the sad truth is that no one in our city no one in our state no one in our country has that luxury anymore.”

How you can help

Louisville Red Cross CEO Steve Cunanan is asking for type O- blood donations. Type O- is the universal blood, meaning it’s what hospitals reach for in instances like shootings when they aren’t able to determine a person’s blood type fast enough.

Red Cross will be ready to give additional blood to UofL Health if needed, but donations are being requested.

To help, visit https://www.redcross.org/give-blood.html.