Multiple deaths have been confirmed in a shooting in the downtown area of Louisville, Kentucky on Monday.
In an initial statement, the Louisville Metro Police Department said it was “confirming reports of an active aggressor,” adding that there were “multiple casualties” at the scene. Police later shared additional details, including confirmation that calls about a shooter had first started coming in at around 8:30 a.m. local time. The location of the shooting was a building downtown known for housing the Old National Bank.
At the time of this writing, the shooter was reported to be dead.
“Total deceased is 5,” police said in an update shared to Twitter, adding that “at least” six others were injured. It wasn’t immediately clear if the confirmation of five deaths also included the deceased shooter. However, subsequent comments from law enforcement suggested that there had been four confirmed victims in the shooting.
Speaking with reporters during a short press conference moments after the above-referenced statement, police described the shooter as someone who had a connection to the location, either as an active or former employee. He is alleged to have walked into a board meeting and opened fire. Additionally, police have confirmed that two officers were among those wounded in the shooting.
The investigation into Monday’s attack includes involvement from regional FBI agents, as confirmed shortly after news of the shooting broke that morning.
The fatal shooting in Louisville follows last month’s attack at the Covenant School in the Green Hills area of Nashville. In that shooting, six people were killed, including three children. In a statement on Monday, Rep. Keturah Herron of Kentucky pointed to the all-too-prevalent nature of such violence across the U.S.
“This is happening around the country in a city daily,” Rep. Herron said. “Today was our turn in Louisville, KY. As we hold our community tighter there must be outrage and anger. We live in a war zone and we shouldn’t have to.”
