<div style="text-align: justify; "><b style="font-size: 1rem;">Five people died when an employee opened fire at a bank in Louisville, Kentucky, and livestreamed the attack on Instagram, police say.</b><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The victims were aged between 40 and 64. Among nine others injured was a rookie police officer who had graduated to the force just two weeks ago.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The officer was shot in the head and is still critical after brain surgery.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Police responded within three minutes, and fatally shot the attacker in an exchange of gunfire.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The shooting took place at the Old National Bank in the city centre at about 08:30 local time (12:30 GMT).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Caleb Goodlett told local media his wife, an employee at the bank, locked herself inside the vault when the attack began.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Other witnesses described seeing the shootout between police officers and the lone attacker.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said an "incredible friend" of his, Tommy Elliot, a senior vice-president at the bank, was among the victims.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Tommy Elliott helped me build my law career, helped me become governor, gave me advice on being a good dad," said Mr Beshear.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">City Councilman Anthony Piagentini told the Courier-Journal newspaper that Mr Wilt graduated from the academy on 31 March, and that his brother is enrolled in the police academy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg called the attack "an evil act of targeted violence". The mayor noted that he himself was the victim of a recent gun attack.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Last year he was shot at by a mentally disturbed man who had burst into his campaign office.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Two survivors told WHAS-TV that Monday's gunshots first broke out in a ground-floor conference room at the bank.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Whoever was next to me got shot - blood is on me from it," said one man, pointing to his shirt.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The suspect was named as 25-year-old Connor Sturgeon, who police said used an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle during the incident and was broadcasting the shooting online.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"That's tragic to know that that incident was out there and captured," said Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Instagram's owner Meta said it had "quickly removed the livestream of this tragic incident this morning".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The attacker is described in an online profile as being a syndications associate and portfolio banker at Old National Bank. He had joined the company as a full-time employee last year after spending three summers as an intern there.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Officials say he had no previous contact with law enforcement.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">According to US media, he had recently been told by the bank that he was going to be fired and had written a note describing his plans for the mass shooting before going to work on Monday.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Data compiled by the Gun Violence Archive shows that there have been at least 146 mass shootings - defined as those in which at least four people were shot - so far in 2023, including at least 15 since April began.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">President Joe Biden demanded Congress pass gun control measures as he tweeted on Monday: "Too many Americans are paying for the price of inaction with their lives."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Kentucky is one of 26 states that allow most adults over 21 years old to purchase and carry a firearm without a licence. BBC</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>