Louisville mass shooter Connor Sturgeon received professional treatment for depression and anxiety, but his family doesn’t know he has issues with anger, a source close to the killer’s family exclusively told DailyMail.com Wednesday.
The family was also unaware that the 25-year-old was concerned about his job, despite early reports that he had been fired or was about to be fired, the source added.
When asked if the family knew he had a motive for going after colleagues on Monday, the source replied: “Absolutely not.”
“That’s the amazing thing about this,” the source told DailyMail.com. “He was in the care of health care workers. There is a history of depression and anxiety, but no anger.
“That’s the puzzle piece that’s hardest for the family to understand.”
Connor Sturgeon, 25, received professional care for depression and anxiety, DailyMail.com can reveal
Sturgeon is depicted on surveillance footage dressed casually while holding an AR-15 rifle. “He was in the care of health care workers. There is a history of depression and anxiety, but no anger,” said a source close to the Sturgeon family
The source said the family is “baffled” by his actions and did not know he was having work problems at the bank. The Sturgeon family broke their silence in a statement on Tuesday
The family is also struggling to understand why he targeted the bank, despite an early, unrepeated claim from authorities that he was fired, the source said.
“The family didn’t know there was anything wrong with his employment status,” the source said. “So at the first press conference, when they said he was fired, the family was very shocked by that.
“I think yesterday the authorities backtracked a bit by saying he wasn’t fired. But there’s still a story that he was told he was going to be fired, and the family is trying to clear that up because they don’t know about it.”
The source also stated that the family was unaware that their son had bought an AR-15 rifle a week before the attack.
“They had no idea,” the source said. “They are not a family of arms, not a single coat of arms in this family.”
Connor’s father Todd Sturgeon even had anti-gun accounts and tweets retweeted online.
Sturgeon was seen leaving the bank on East Main Street in Louisville at 8:33 a.m. Monday armed with a legally purchased AR-15 before opening fire, killing five senior executives and wounding eight other people.
Over the course of six minutes, police were seen driving up to the building and bursting in the doors – as gunshots echoed in the streets. One officer, Nickolas Wilt, was shot in the head in the ambush before Sturgeon was subsequently killed.
An attorney representing the family told DailyMail.com exclusively on Tuesday that Sturgeon’s parents received a text from their son minutes before the rampage, in which he simply said, “I love you.”
They are aware that the young man is leaving a note or notes, but police have yet to share them with the family, the lawyer added.
Police at the scene of Monday’s shooting in Louisville. Armed with an AR-15 assault rifle, Sturgeon stormed into the morning conference at 8:30 a.m. — before the bank was open to the public
On Tuesday night, the killer’s family broke their silence to condemn his “senseless acts of violence” and revealed he had mental health issues – but said “there were never any warning signs” that he was about to commit mass murder.
“No words can express our sadness, fear and horror at the unimaginable harm our son Connor has caused to innocent people, their families and the entire Louisville community,” the statement said.
“We mourn their loss and that of our son, Connor. We pray for all those traumatized by his senseless acts of violence and are deeply grateful for the courage and heroism of the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department.
While Connor, like many of his contemporaries, had mental health issues that we were actively addressing as a family, there were never any warning signs or indications that he was capable of this shocking act.
“While we have many unanswered questions, we will continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement and do everything we can to help everyone understand why and how this happened.”
Footage of the incident, released at a press conference on Tuesday, details the Louisville Metro Police Department’s swift response to the massacre.
Audio between a dispatcher and officers released on Broadcastify filled in the gaps of the fast-paced operation.
Sturgeon’s roommate Dallas Whalen, 24, (right) has fully cooperated with the police investigation, his lawyer told DailyMail.com
The couple lived in this modest two-bedroom house for about a year before the shooting took place Monday that left Sturgeon and five victims dead. An agent is seen at the house
Sturgeon lived in a one-story house with his close friend, who said he was unaware his roommate was planning an attack, DailyMail.com revealed exclusively.
Sturgeon’s roommate, Dallas Whalen, 24, has been cooperating with police, his attorney said.
“It was as unfamiliar and surprising to Dallas as anyone,” the attorney said.
Whalen has kept a low profile since the shooting. His father went to the house on Monday night to collect some of his son’s belongings and also to help a young woman, who was believed to be staying there.
Authorities tell DailyMail.com that the murder weapon was “legally purchased on April 4 from a Louisville arms dealer.”
Whalen was unaware of the purchase and had no advanced knowledge or information about Connor’s plan or intentions, his attorney, who also represents the Sturgeon family, added.
Whalen’s attorney said he works with the Sturgeon family and counsels Whalen through them as well.
Neighbors told DailyMail.com that Sturgeon and his friend lived in the modest two-bedroom home for about a year and described the shooter as quiet but friendly.
The neighbor said that Sturgeon and Whalen were always polite and invited her family to their house when his friends gathered in the backyard and sometimes played beer pong.
Armed with an AR-15 assault rifle, he stormed into the morning conference at 8:30 a.m. — before the bank was open to the public — and killed Tommy Elliott, 63; Joshua Barrick, 40; James ‘Jim’ Tutt, 64; and Juliana Boer, 57.
The death of Deana Eckert, 57, an executive administrative officer at the bank and mother of two, was confirmed Monday night by Louisville police.
All five were senior executives at the bank.
