Update: Beshear later said that one of the friends he thought was dead is alive.
Original story:
Amid national demands for stricter gun laws, at least four people were killed and eight more were injured and transported to the hospital Monday morning in a mass shooting at Old National Bank in Louisville, Kentucky.
Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) Deputy Chief Paul Humphrey told reporters that two officers were shot and the shooter also died at the scene. Investigators are trying to determine whether the shooter, who appears to be a previous bank employee, died from police fire.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg and Gov. Andy Beshear, both Democrats, also joined the press conference. Choking back tears, the governor said he uses this bank personally and had friends who were killed and injured.
The latest mass shooting in Kentucky comes as the nation also watches neighboring Tennessee, where Republicans in the state Legislature last week expelled a pair of young, Black Democratic lawmakers for supporting protests for gun control on the House floor after the deadly Covenant School shooting in Nashville.
The carnage in Louisville sparked yet another wave of demands for stricter gun laws.
"This is America," tweeted March for Our Lives, which was formed by students after the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
"We're horrified and sickened. Power and peace to those that lost their lives. We'll fight like hell in their memory. This makes 146 mass shootings this year," the group continued, citing figures from the Gun Violence Archive.
Everytown for Gun Safety declared: "More lives stolen by senseless, preventable gun violence. We shouldn't have to accept this. No other country does."
"Our hearts are with the victims, survivors, their loved ones, and the entire Louisville community," the group added. "Tonight there will be more empty seats at dinner tables and more families grieving loved ones who should still be here."
A federal law enforcement source confirmed to CNN that an AR-15-style rifle was used in the Louisville shooting.
"This horrific shooting is exactly why AR-15-style weapons and assault weapons have no place in our communities," said Kris Brown, president of Brady, the oldest national gun violence prevention group. "These weapons of war were designed for the battlefield and to kill as many people as quickly as possible, which is why they are the weapon of choice for mass shooters. Preventable tragedies like this are why other developed countries, including the United Kingdom and Australia, have banned these weapons for civilian use."
"Whether it's a bank, a school, a supermarket, or a church, Americans no longer feel safe in their communities. And Americans are increasingly tired of living in fear of being a victim of a mass shooting," Brown stressed. "It does not have to be this way. But until the gun industry no longer has a vice grip on our elected officials, this will continue to be our daily reality."
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