The parents of the Louisville gunman sought help for their son as he reported a mental health crisis the week before he committed a mass killing, they said Thursday in an emotional interview with “Today.”
Todd and Lisa Sturgeon, who last saw their 25-year-old son Connor the day before he killed five people at the downtown Louisville bank where he worked, said they believed he was improving after seeing a psychiatrist and that Connor seemed happy at an Easter gathering that day.
But the Sturgeons said they faulted themselves for failing to anticipate that their son would, the next morning, inflict the latest tragedy on a nation wearied by a steady stream of gun violence.
“Well-meaning people keep saying to us, ‘You did what any reasonable parents would have done,’” Todd Sturgeon said on the “Today” show. “But Connor at his darkest hour needed us to be exceptional, not reasonable. And we failed.”
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The Sturgeons said their son should not have been able to purchase the AR-15 he used in the mass killing while receiving mental health treatment. They chose to share their story as an example for others supporting loved ones with mental health challenges, they said.
The Sturgeon family had previously released a statement expressing their horror at Connor’s actions the day after the April 10 shooting. The statement said that Connor had mental health issues that the family had been “actively addressing” but that “there were never any warning signs or indications that he was capable of this shocking act.”
“Today” host Savannah Guthrie told viewers Thursday that the Sturgeons said their son had, for a year, struggled with anxiety and panic attacks and had attempted suicide. He saw a counselor and a psychiatrist and took medication, she added.
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The Tuesday before the shooting, Connor called Lisa and said he had a panic attack at work, his mother told “Today.” She recalled telling him, “I want to see you.”
Share this articleShare“I had lunch with him on Wednesday, the next day,” Lisa said. “I set up an appointment with his psychiatrist.”
Todd said Lisa intervened to push up the psychiatrist appointment. They saw the psychiatrist with Connor on Thursday, and told “Today” that they thought he made progress. They said they did not know that Connor had legally purchased an AR-15 that week, as authorities later reported.
Lisa recounted learning in terror from Connor’s roommate on Monday morning that Connor had left a note saying he planned to open fire at the Old National Bank.
Audio from a 911 call released by the Louisville Metro Police Department showed Lisa frantically relaying those details to a dispatcher in disbelief.
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“He’s never hurt anyone. He’s a really good kid,” she said. “He’s nonviolent. He’s never done anything.”
The Sturgeons apologized to the families of the victims and said they’d been “consumed by grief” since the shooting.
They also criticized the ease with which Connor was reportedly able to purchase a firearm and ammunition, even though he was actively receiving mental health treatment. Todd said during the interview that they’d been told their son was able to purchase a firearm and ammunition “in 40 minutes.”
“He should not have been able to purchase the gun because of his mental condition,” Lisa told “Today.” “If there had been a delay or something of that nature, that would have been helpful.”
At several points in the interview, Todd and Lisa appeared to pause, overcome by emotion, or spoke through tears.
“People could look at you and say if it could happen to you, it could happen to anyone,” Guthrie said to the couple. “Do you feel like that?”
“We’ve heard that,” Lisa answered. “But I want to say though, too, how many mass shootings have there been this calendar year already? It has been happening to other people like us, and we’re continuing to let it happen. We have to fix that.”
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