Man whose wife hid in bank vault during massacre reveals call

Man whose wife hid in Louisville bank vault during Connor Sturgeon’s massacre reveals ‘traumatic phone call’ – as neighbors say ‘soft-spoken’ shooter was ‘very friendly’ and invited them over for cookouts

• Caleb Goodlett told reporters how he received a panicked call from his wife while she was locked inside a vault at the bank
• Authorities say Connor Sturgeon, 25, opened fire at a morning meeting, killing five people and injuring another eight
• Neighbors are left wondering what could have driven the former high school sports star to commit such a violent act 

A man whose wife hid in the vault when a disgruntled former employee stormed the Old National Bank armed with an assault rifle has described the ‘traumatic phone call’ he received.

Caleb Goodlett told WLKY reporters at the scene of the Louisville shooting on Monday how he received a panicked call from his wife while she was locked inside a vault at the bank and begged him to phone 911.

Fortunately, he said, Metro police were already aware of the situation. Authorities have said they arrived on the scene just three minutes after Connor Sturgeon, 25, opened fire at a morning meeting, killing five people and injuring another eight.

Sturgeon was also killed at the scene following a shootout with police.

Friends and neighbors have described the former high school sports star as ‘soft-spoken’ and ‘very friendly’ – and cannot understand what drove him to commit such a violent act.

Caleb Goodlett told WLKY reporters at the scene of the Louisville shooting on Monday how he received a panicked call from his wife while she was locked inside a vault at the bank

The shooter has been identified as Connor Sturgeon, 25, a former bank employee 

https://youtube.com/watch?v=5u29NwTty28%3Frel%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26hl%3Den-US

Speaking to the local news station as the investigation into the massacre continued on Monday, Goodlett said he received a phone call at around 8.30am from his wife and rushed to the scene.

‘I got a call from my wife panicking, [saying] that she was locked in the vault, that there was an active shooter in the building and to call 911,’ he said. ‘By the time I called 911, they were already aware of it.

‘I was approaching the scene right as the first officers were approaching the scene, no time wasted, they tried to breach the building first,’ Goodlett said of what he saw. ‘They were unsuccessful at the first breach, they backed off, pushed us back, we got people out of their cars in the middle of the street.

‘And then we saw another round go back into the building, we heard multiple shots, and then everything got quiet. That’s when an ambulance started arriving, fire, so on and so forth.’

He said his wife, whom he did not name, knew that the Old National Bank’s protocol for such a situation is to hide in the vault, noting that it the most secure place in the building and said she was able to call him while inside.

It was ‘just a very traumatic phone call to get right at 8.30, but LMPD has done a great job closing the scene off, and they went in immediately — very impressive to watch from the street.’ 

‘You know, you watch the news, you see everything go down, you think of how you would handle this situation if it arose within your family,’ he said. 

‘Me and her have had that conversation several times — hit the panic button, go to the vault, don’t fight, don’t do anything, lock yourself up, hide and let it go.’ 

His wife survived the massacre that took the lives of Thomas Elliott, 63, Joshua Barrick, 40, Juliana Farmer, 45, James Tutt, 64 and Deana Eckert, 57. 

Also injured were two police officers, including one who was listed in critical condition after being shot in the head.

Thomas Elliott, 63, one of Governor Andy Beshear’s ‘closest’ friends, died Monday morning in the mass shooting at Old National Bank in Louisville, Kentucky. Also killed was James ‘Jim’ Tutt, 64, a marketing executive at the bank

Joshua Barrick, 40, a vice president of commercial real estate at the bank, was also killed by the lone gunman, as was Juliana Farmer, 45

Deana Eckert, 57, an executive administrative officer at the bank, was declared dead on Monday evening 

Authorities have said they arrived at the scene of the Old National Bank within three minutes of Sturgeon opening fire

Members of the Louisville Metro Police and federal ATF agents are pictured outside the bank as the investigation continued on Monday

A Louisville police officer is pictured outside Sturgeon’s Camp Taylor home following the massacre

Authorities have said that Sturgeon, who was recently fired from the bank, stormed into a conference room with an AR-15 rifle shortly after 8.30am – around half an hour before the branch opened to the public.

He was suicidal, friends said, and live streamed the shooting.

Officers arrived within three minutes and found the shooter still firing, Louisville Metro Police Deputy Chief Paul Humphrey said. 

They exchanged fire with Sturgeon, who died at the scene.

Videos showed officers at the scene running out into the street during rush hour traffic and warning drivers to get out of the car because there was an ‘active shooter.’

At least three gunshots could be heard in the footage. 

Photos also showed blood splattered on the steps leading up to the bank, and broken glass on the ground.

Officers were later spotted outside his Camp Taylor home, taking possession of a computer as evidence.

Kera Allgeier, who lived next door to him in Louisville, said she could not say anything bad about Sturgeon

Sturgeon is pictured here right with his father, Todd, mother, Lisa, and his younger brother Cameron

https://youtube.com/watch?v=8bBnN9P-XD4%3Frel%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26hl%3Den-US

Now, many are left stunned that Sturgeon — who had a middle-class upbringing in Indiana and a ‘quiet’ demeanor — could have taken up arms against his former employer.

Neighbors described the 25-year-old and his housemate as ‘good neighbors and seemingly nice people.’  

Kera Allgeier, who lived next door to him in Louisville, even went as far as to say she ‘can’t say nothing really bad about the guy,’ whom she described as ‘very quiet’ and ‘soft-spoken.’

‘They invited us over a couple of times for cookouts during the summer, you know, very friendly,’ she said of Sturgeon and his housemate. ‘I just don’t understand.’ 

The 25-year-old attended the University of Alabama before attending the Manderson Graduate School of Business at the same college.

He had been worker for Old National Bank as a Syndications Associate and Portfolio Banker since July last year, according to his LinkedIn profile. 

A former friend and teammate of Sturgeon’s from high school has previously described the gunman as smart, popular and a star athlete in high school track, football and basketball.

He was the 2016 NTSPY winner for Boys Track Athlete of the Year and won the Evansville Regional crown in the 400-meter during the 2015 – 16 track season, going on to finish 20th in the state meet.

Sturgeon was also named a National Merit Scholar in 2015. 

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