LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Vigils continue to unite people following Monday’s mass shooting in Louisville. Hundreds attended a community-wide vigil on Wednesday to reflect and remember the five killed when a gunman opened fire at the Old National Bank in downtown Louisville.
The mood at the vigil was somber, but there were cheers for the officers who responded to Monday’s shooting. Many attendees were dressed in business clothes, and some had walked to the memorial after their workday in downtown Louisville.
That same night, a moment of silence preceded a college baseball game between Louisville and neighboring Bellarmine University at Jim Patterson Stadium. Players from both schools stood in alternating patterns along the first- and third-base lines as the names and pictures of the victims were displayed on an outfield video screen.
In the plaza at the Muhammad Ali Center, among the hundreds, was a little girl who wrote a poem at the Muhammad Ali Center. “Because five people died,” said 8-year-old Ava.
Ava remembered the five victims killed in Monday’s mass shooting. Her mother, Kathy Deutsch, brought her to the community vigil held Wednesday.
“I wanted to show my daughter we can make a difference if we come to care for everybody, too,” Deutsch said.
Among the numerous speakers, Gov. Andy Beshear recalled all the victims, including his friend Tommy Elliott, killed on Monday.
“These are irreplaceable Kentuckians taken far too soon by the senseless act of violence that is certainly making me feel heartbroken,” Beshear said. “And I think all of us toward acts like this tear at the very fabric of humanity of who we are and certainly who we want to be.”
For the first time, the community heard from Old National Bank CEO Jim Ryan, who remembered his beloved employees.
“We are here to remember and celebrate the lives of five members of the old national family and to wrap her arms around and grieve with all of those who loved and cared for them,” Ryan said.
Community leader Dr. Muhammad Babar pleaded, urgently, for changes and called for an end to gun violence.
“We all bleed red. I know that we all want our children to be safe in their schools. I know, though, that we all want our loved ones to return home every evening for supper,” Dr. Babar said. “So when we share the same aspirations and hopes, then why we cannot agree on finding solutions, to curb this endless cycle of violence by people?”
Organizers with the community-wide vigil encouraged a call to action for anyone looking to help. They said to sign up to donate blood.
Bank employee Connor Sturgeon, 25, used an AR-15 assault-style rifle in the attack Monday at Old National Bank, where he killed five coworkers while livestreaming before police fatally shot him. Eight others were injured, including a police officer who was shot in the head and remains hospitalized in critical condition.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.