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Five people dead and eight injured in shooting in Kentucky

US police believe the suspect, who died in the assault, was a former employee.

LAST UPDATE | 10 Apr 2023

FIVE PEOPLE HAVE died, including a shooter, and at least eight others were injured in a shooting targeting a bank in downtown Louisville, Kentucky.

US police believe the suspect, who died in the assault, was a former employee.

According to police, calls came in around 8.30am local time for an “active aggressor” at the Old National Bank in Louisville, the largest city in the southern state.

Officers “encountered the suspect almost immediately, still firing gun shots,” Louisville police deputy chief Paul Humphrey told a press conference, adding that the shooter had died at the scene.

“We’re trying to confirm if that suspect died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound or was killed by officers,” Humphrey said.

At least four other people were killed in the bank and eight were being treated for injuries at University of Louisville hospital, including two officers who were wounded in the exchange of gunfire, Humphrey added.

Police had initially given a death toll of five, but subsequently clarified that that figure included the shooter. 

Two people were in critical condition, including one of the officers.

“It is clear from the officers’ response that they absolutely saved people’s lives,” said Humphrey.

Police were working to identify the victims, as well as establish the shooter’s link to the bank.

“We believe this is a lone gunman involved in this, that did have a connection to the bank,” Humphrey said, adding that “it appears he was a previous employee.”

Humphrey reiterated that there was no longer an active threat and urged residents to stay clear of the scene during what was expected to be a long investigation, likely to go “into the night.” 

The incident triggered a massive police deployment outside the Old National bank building.

CNN reported that some people had been able to take refuge in the bank vault and lock themselves in — contacting police from inside.

Fox affiliate WDRB cited a witness saying she heard multiple gunshots and breaking glass while in her car at an intersection near the site of the shooting.

“Gunfire erupted, like, right over my head,” said the woman, who gave her name only as Debbie. “When I turned, I saw that one of the windows in the bank had been blown out,” she added.

Governor Andy Beshear tweeted that he was headed to the scene, adding: “Please pray for all of the families impacted and for the city of Louisville.”

The United States, a country of around 330 million people, is awash with 400 million guns and deadly mass shootings are a regular occurrence.

Efforts to tighten gun controls have for years run up against opposition from Republicans, staunch defenders of America’s constitutional right to bear arms. The political paralysis endures despite widespread outrage over recurring shootings.

In the latest illustration of the deadlock, two Tennessee lawmakers were expelled from the state legislature last week after staging a floor protest calling for tougher gun control, in the wake of a deadly mass shooting at an elementary school in Nashville.

Today’s mass shooting in Louisville was the 146th of the year according to data from the Gun Violence Archive — defined as incidents in which four or more people were shot or killed, excluding the assailant.

© AFP 2023

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    Mute Mick Tobin
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    Feb 23rd 2022, 7:41 PM

    It won’t help one bit for two reasons. Firstly because Russia has been having enough financial resources to help it through sanctions for years and will continue to do so, and secondly because this isn’t even about the military Nato threat the Russians claim is bothering them.

    There simply isn’t enough Nato military power in the area to outgun the Russians for that claim to hold, so it has to be about something else, which I think is the Kremlin being terrified that a democratic revolution could at some point reach Moscow.

    The whole thing started with an EU association treaty in 2014 – this triggered the Maidan crisis and the subsequent annexation of Crimea. Moreover Boris Johnson is still sitting on a collusion report into UK elections and the Brexit referendum, presumably because it would embarrassingly expose how Russia scored a major geopolitical victory with that referedum outcome.

    So I think Nato isn’t the real enemy so much from Russia’s perspective. It’s democracy in general, and the EU in particular. They don’t like the idea of this system sitting next to them because of what it advocates, and they don’t like people witnessing its success because it threatens them, and this is what makes the situation so dangerous, because if democracy is the enemy, then what sort of contained solution will pacify the Kremlin? There is no such solution I’m afraid.

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    Mute Sean McCarthy
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    Feb 23rd 2022, 7:47 PM

    @Mick Tobin: very well put, great point.

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    Mute Gerard
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    Feb 24th 2022, 1:09 AM

    @Mick Tobin: the sanctions imposed over Crimea did have a very negative effect on the Russian economy. Look at the exchange rate of the ruble over the last ten years and you’ll see it lose over 50% of it’s value nearly overnight.

    I’m not saying the sanctions will deter Russia. But the last round did have a strong measurable negative effect. But they’re not going to cause the economy to disappear overnight, and at a certain point it will adapt. No more than North Korea functions without much of any access to the world economy. Just because it’s priced in, and doesn’t cause the regime to collapse doesn’t mean the negative effect isn’t there.

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    Mute Paul Gorry
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    Feb 23rd 2022, 7:12 PM

    Putin couldn’t care less about sanctions nor can the rest of the Russian government.

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    Mute Mick McGuinness
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    Feb 23rd 2022, 7:35 PM

    Any Family members of any high ranking government, military, oligarchs should have their visa cancelled in the West and given 24 hour’s too leave. Freeze all Bank accounts no matter which bank they’re in. If the West don’t do anything it’s like Hitler and his actions all over again.

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    Mute Kerrill Thornhill
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    Feb 23rd 2022, 7:34 PM

    It’s hard to see these sanctions having any meaningful impact. The over use of economic sanctions on places like Cuba/ Venezuela/ Iran/ Syria/ N.Korea have pushed them into the arms of China and Russia, effectively nullifying their inpact. Chinas is now the world’s biggest economy and its balance of trade boomed despite US sanctions – their Belt and Road Initiative has attracted over 130 countries, making them the dominant global economic power. This is causing panic stations for countries who have used economic power to bully colonies/ small countries in the past.

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    Mute JohnDoe
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    Feb 23rd 2022, 7:09 PM

    WH says sanctions are already impacting …the reality is their not. Putin and Co have being planning this for years. He shorting the dollar over gold… Ukraine is a major supplier of Neon … higher..and ..HIGHER prices to come.. fertiliser prices to increase..impacting food prices in 12 months or so….

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    Mute Michael McGrath
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    Feb 23rd 2022, 7:50 PM

    Have a funny feeling those sanctions will have more of an impact on us ala higher again fuel prices and the knock on effect of higher prices of everything than any real impact on Russia

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    Mute Kieran Woods
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    Feb 23rd 2022, 7:49 PM

    There will be loads of posturing and huffing and puffing then it will all blow over. Gas transit through Ukraine will be throttled. Europe needs the gas. NS2 will be in operation inside 12 months.

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    Mute Philip Dwyer
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    Feb 23rd 2022, 7:22 PM

    We need to ban our coddle exports to Russia.

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    Mute Mick McGuinness
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    Feb 23rd 2022, 7:31 PM

    @Philip Dwyer: down with that sort of thing.

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    Mute Colm Molloy
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    Feb 23rd 2022, 8:00 PM

    @Philip Dwyer: And all boxty from the border counties

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    Mute John O Mahony
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    Feb 24th 2022, 1:45 AM

    We are a neutral country so why are we taking sides. I don’t see any sanctions against isreal when the are taking palestinian land on a continuous basis. Double standards from the west.

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    Mute Colm Molloy
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    Feb 23rd 2022, 8:12 PM

    Did the Americans put all sorts of bases and the like around Russia years ago which caused them to build up military resources in all sorts of far out places in Russia, which essentially became an arms race, eventually collapsing their economy, this time, they are more armed and funded, but still hurt from before, egotistically.
    How to resolve this one is anyones guess but being slightly left of centre and soft might not work, or at least get the west a lot less at the negotiation table.
    The west wanting, in this case, Russia not deploying it’s army outside its borders .
    It’s a tough one alright.

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    Mute Neuville-Kepler62F
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    Feb 24th 2022, 11:57 AM

    Hearts and minds over guns and tanks.

    The Internet now enables identification and direct communication with individual soldiers.
    Their personal details are on Social Media platforms.

    Russian soldiers have form in responding maturely to “daft” orders from their officers.

    https://eng.mil.ru/en/mission/peacekeeping_operations.htm

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