On Wednesday, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said he “can’t imagine” how the family of the man who killed five people in a Louisville shooting on Monday, including a friend of the governor, is feeling.
Beshear said that he went to Old National Bank “immediately” after hearing about the Louisville shooting while he was in the governor’s office in Frankfort. (Photo: Luke Sharrett/Getty Images)
One of the Victims in Louisville Shooting
“This person murdered my friend. But still, I can’t imagine what his parents must be feeling right now,” Beshear said. The call from the 25-year-old Old National Bank employee Connor Sturgeon, mother of the gunman, was one of several 911 calls given to the public on Wednesday.
The calls show the panic and fear during the Louisville shooting, in which five people died and three were hurt. She said that her son had “apparently left a note” and that she was shocked and confused by what she had heard from her son’s neighbor. Beshear said that his friend Tommy Elliott was a bank executive and one of Louisville shooting victims. He said that he wanted his friend to be recognized as a good husband and father.
Tommy Elliott was the bank’s senior vice president. He led Beshear’s 2019 inauguration group and was a well-known Democratic politician in Kentucky. Beshear said that he was the one who told Elliott’s wife that he had been killed in a Louisville shooting. Beshear said that he went to Old National Bank “immediately” after hearing about the Louisville shooting while in the governor’s office in Frankfort. His friend worked at the bank, and the governor is a customer there.
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Beshear on Gun Control Law
Beshear, a Democrat, pushed for “red flag” laws, but he was careful to say that he doesn’t “want to give anybody false hope”. This pertains to the new gun control laws will be passed in a state where Republicans control the government. He didn’t say if he would try to get new gun laws passed, like Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee did when he signed an order to improve background checks after the shooting at a Nashville Elementary School last month. Lee, who is a Republican, has also asked the GOP-controlled legislature to pass something like a “red flag” law. This would let courts briefly take guns away from people who are thought to be dangerous to themselves or others.
Beshear said he hasn’t read Lee’s executive order yet, but he said that because red flag laws involve courts, it makes sure that everyone’s rights are respected and that evidence is heard and that he doesn’t want this to happen to another family. Beshear has been pushing for a red flag law in Kentucky for a long time, but he did not say if he thinks one will now be politically possible. This year, state lawmakers in Kentucky passed a law that makes the state a “Second Amendment sanctuary” and keeps local police from following federal gun laws. This shows that Kentucky is a pro-gun rights state. Even though Beshear didn’t sign it, the bill became law anyway.
However, a judge rejected a similar legislation in Missouri, and Beshear claimed Kentucky’s bill is illegal because state law can’t be stronger than federal law and would be overturned in court if challenged. Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg has requested stronger gun control authority from Kentucky legislators. In Frankfort, where Republicans dominate the House and Senate, this request would likely be rejected. Beshear also encouraged people to seek mental health care in Kentucky. He discussed the state’s 2022 988 suicide and crisis number.
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