The 25-year-old former bank analyst who shot and killed four colleagues after losing his job was a star athlete in high school, a friend said, but had multiple concussions.
Conor Sturgeon was killed by police in Louisville after breaking into the Old National Bank on Monday.
Armed with an AR-15 assault rifle, he stormed into the morning conference at 8:30 a.m.—before the bank opened to the public—and killed Tommy Elliott, 63; Joshua Barrick, 40; James C. Tutt, 64; and Juliana Farmer, 57.
Sturgeon reportedly live-streamed the attack on Instagram, left a suicide note for his parents and posted memes announcing the impending attack.
Sturgeon was a star athlete in Indiana, said a high school friend, who excelled in track, football, and basketball at his school across the Ohio River from Louisville.
But he had several concussions and wore a head guard.
Connor Sturgeon, 25, was seen representing Floyd Central High School in Floyds Nobbs, Indiana – about 10 miles from downtown Louisville
Sturgeon was a track star, as well as a talented football and basketball player
Sturgeon was in high school in Indiana, across the Ohio River
“The big thing I keep coming back to is that freshman year of high school, we played soccer together in eighth grade, and he was out most of the year because he had multiple concussions,” said the friend. The Daily Beast.
Then he got a couple more in high school.
I’m not saying this is the reason but I always think so.
There were times when I wondered, is this going to catch up with him? But never this way. He is the last person I would expect to do this.
The sturgeon was famous and high-flying, the friend said, and he was nicknamed “Mr. Floyd Central”.
His father, Todd Sturgeon, was the head basketball coach for Floyd Central until last year.
He had previously coached the University of Indianapolis men’s basketball team for 10 seasons, but left in 2007 after watching his son at basketball camp and realizing that he “maybe would rather spend more time with his sons than others.”
Sturgeon’s brother is a professional model.
“I know everyone always says that about shooters, but I really didn’t expect it to be him,” said the friend.
His high school friend said Sturgeon had suffered multiple concussions and was sometimes unable to compete due to head injuries.
Sturgeon won the track and field event in 2016
The university confirmed that after graduating from Floyd Central in 2016, Sturgeon went to the University of Alabama and graduated in 2020.
In a 2018 essay for the university, unearthed by The Daily Beast, Sturgeon wrote of his quest to improve “discipline, responsibility, and self-esteem… so that I can better myself as a whole.” ”
Sturgeon said he struggled to make friends – even though his friends saw him as a popular athlete and star.
“My self-esteem has always been an issue for me,” he wrote.
“As a late junior in middle school and high school, I struggled somewhat to fit in, and this gave me a somewhat negative self-image that persists today.”
Making friends has never been easy, so I have more experience than most working on my own.
On top of that, college has introduced a whole new atmosphere and new challenges, so it’s easy to feel like I’m not doing as well as I should be.
But this semester, I think I’m starting to mature socially and I’m starting to see improvement in this area.
“I’ve found that taking time to assess how I feel and what I can do to feel better has helped me be more social and therefore feel better about myself.”
Sturgeon worked at the Old National Bank (pictured Monday), but was told he would be fired
Police are seen at the scene of the shooting Monday in Louisville
A police officer stands outside the Sturgeon family home in Louisville
Sturgeon’s LinkedIn said he completed three summer internships between 2018-2020, before starting work at Old National Bank as a syndication partner and portfolio banker.
“I am certified in the RMA Lending Decision Process,” he wrote in his profile, “I have a master’s degree in Finance from the University of Alabama, and I am a member of the Young Professionals Council in the Junior Achievement of Kentuckiana Program.”
He also hosted a basketball-focused podcast with two friends, the Daily Beast said, and tweeted about the NBA.
He also posted offers of support for the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, as well as criticisms of police violence and Donald Trump.
