There’s been a shooting in downtown Louisville At least Four people have been killed

At least four people were killed and eight wounded Monday in a shooting at a bank in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. The male gunman, who appears to have acted alone, also died.

The shooting, the 15th mass killing in the United States this year, comes just two weeks after a former student killed three children and three adults at a Christian elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee, about 260 kilometers to the south.

Paul Humphrey, deputy chief of the Louisville Metro Police Department, said at a news conference that as police arrived on the scene, Gunfire continued inside the Old National Bank, and police exchanged fire with the gunman. It was not immediately clear whether the gunman killed himself or was killed by police.

“We believe it was a lone shooter who did have some connection to the bank,” Humphrey said. We are trying to establish exactly what his connection to the bank is, but it looks like he is a former employee.”

At least eight people were hospitalized, including two police officers, one of whom was in critical condition, Humphrey said.

An emotional governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear, said he had lost friends in the shooting. The incident took place at a building on East Main Street, not far from Louisville Slugger Field and Waterfront Park.

“It’s terrible,” he said. “I have a very close friend who was not spared today. A close friend of mine was not spared. There’s another one in the hospital. I hope I can pull through.”

This is the second time as governor that Beshear has been personally touched by a large-scale tragedy.

Tornadoes swept through Kentucky in late 2021, hitting towns including Dawson Springs, the hometown of Beshear’s father, Steve Beshear, who served two terms as governor of Kentucky. Andy Beshear, a frequent visitor to the town as a child, once spoke fondly of his father’s hometown.

Deputy Police Chief David Humphrey says the actions of Louisville officers who received the call early Monday undoubtedly saved lives.

“This is a tragic event,” he said. “However, it was due to the heroic response of the officers that ensured that no more people were seriously injured.”

There have been 15 mass shootings in The United States this year, according to a database of mass killings maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University, The 100-day calendar year is the highest since 2009. In 2009, as of April 10, there were 16 mass shootings.

2006 was the first year the data were collated. From this year, the highest number of mass killings were recorded in 2019 and 2022, with 45 and 42 mass killings recorded in the full calendar year, respectively. Although the first 100 days of 2009 set a record, the frequency of incidents slowed, with 32 mass killings recorded throughout the year.