A Louisville, Kentucky, bank employee armed with a rifle who killed five people at his workplace on Monday morning livestreamed the attack on Instagram, authorities said.
Police arrived as shots were still being fired inside Old National Bank and killed the gunman in an exchange of gunfire, Louisville Metro Police Department chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel said.
The city’s mayor, Craig Greenberg, called the attack “an evil act of targeted violence”.
The chief identified the gunman as Connor Sturgeon (25), who she said was livestreaming during the attack. “That’s tragic to know that that incident was out there and captured,” Ms Gwinn-Villaroel said.
Nine people, including two police officers, were treated for injuries from the Louisville shooting. One of the wounded, identified as Deana Eckert (57), later died, police said on Monday night.
One of the wounded officers, Nickolas Wilt (26), is in critical condition after being shot in the head and having surgery. At least three patients had been discharged.
Kentucky governor Andy Beshear said he lost one of his closest friends in the shooting – Tommy Elliott – in the building not far from the minor league ballpark Louisville Slugger Field and Waterfront Park.
“Tommy Elliott helped me build my law career, helped me become governor, gave me advice on being a good dad,” said Mr Beshear, his voice shaking with emotion. “He’s one of the people I talked to most in the world, and very rarely were we talking about my job. He was an incredible friend.”
Also killed in the shooting were Josh Barrick, Jim Tutt and Juliana Farmer, police said.
“These are irreplaceable, amazing individuals that a terrible act of violence tore from all of us,” the governor said.
It is the 15th mass killing in the country this year and comes just two weeks after a former student killed three children and three adults at a Christian elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee.
Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, said in a statement that it had “quickly removed the livestream of this tragic incident this morning”.
Social media companies have imposed tougher rules over the past few years to prohibit violent and extremist content. – AP