US

At least five dead in US after shooting in downtown Louisville, say police

Suspected shooter is deceased, say police, while at least six other people have been brought to hospital, including a police officer

Law enforcement officers respond to an active shooter near the Old National Bank building on Monday in Louisville, Kentucky. Photograph: Luke Sharrett/Getty
Law enforcement officers respond to an active shooter near the Old National Bank building on Monday in Louisville, Kentucky. Photograph: Luke Sharrett/Getty
Mon Apr 10 2023 - 15:54

At least five people are dead after a shooting attack in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, the city’s police department has said.

At least six other people had been transported to hospital, including a police officer. The FBI said its agents had also responded to the scene.

Paul Humphrey, the deputy chief of the Louisville Metro Police Department, said police received calls about a shooting at Old National Bank around 8:30am and when they arrived on the scene, “they encountered active gunshots still being fired inside the location”.

Mr Humphrey said the suspected gunman, who was not identified, was confirmed dead at the scene. “We do not know exactly the circumstances of his death at this time,” he said. It was not yet known what his motive might have been.

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A bank employee shot dead five people and wounded nine others at his workplace, while livestreaming the attack, in Louisville, Kentucky. Video: Reuters

Five people were killed inside the bank, the deputy chief said, and at least six people including a police officer were taken to hospital. He could not confirm the status of the people sent to the hospital.

“There is no active danger known to the public at this time,” Mr Humphrey said.

The bank is across the street from the Louisville Slugger field, a minor-league baseball stadium where the Louisville Bats play.

After the incident was responded to, Louisville police tweeted that there was no longer an “active aggressor threat”. The suspected shooter in the incident near the Slugger Field baseball stadium had been “neutralised”, they said.

Police activity was seen near a bank in the downtown area of the city of about 625,000 people. “I was at the stop light, and the first thing that I saw – there was a guy across the street at the intersection and he was lying down at the entrance to a hotel,” an eyewitness told WDRB, a local Fox affiliate.

Kentucky governor Andy Beshear said he was headed to the city in response to the shooting. – Reuters/New York Times