Gunman Connor Sturgeon's girlfriend is high-school sweetheart

EXCLUSIVE: Family of Louisville bank gunman Connor Sturgeon posts his obituary, listing his accomplishments and naming his 24-year-old ‘much-loved girlfriend’ – but NO mention of the massacre or the way he died in shootout with police

• Connor Sturgeon’s family has published an obituary that makes no mention of the circumstances of his death other than to say he ‘passed away’ on April 10 
• It names his girlfriend as 24-year-old Kelsey Striegel, who he had dated since high school 
• ‘Connor was fortunate to have been much loved by his girlfriend, Kelsey Striegel, as well as many friends located all over the country,’ the obituary reads

The girlfriend of Louisville, Kentucky, bank shooter Connor Sturgeon has been identified as Kelsey Striegel, a longtime love he’d been dating since high school, DailyMail.com can reveal.

The 24-year-old was named in Sturgeon’s obituary, which noted that Connor was survived by family and other loved ones, but made no mention of the horrific circumstances surrounding his death other than to say he ‘passed away’ on April 10.

However, the Sturgeon family asked ‘that any donations or expressions of sympathy be made to the fundraiser for Louisville Metro Police Officer Nick Witt’, who was shot in the head while responding to the massacre.

The 25-year-old was killed in a shootout with cops after he opened fire with an AR-15 assault rifle and slaughtered five co-workers at the Old National Bank branch where he worked.

Connor Sturgeon’s obituary names his girlfriend as 24-year-old Kelsey Striegel, who he had dated since high school

Striegel, who is from New Albany, Indiana, grew up in Louisville. She graduated in 2021 from Indiana University, where she majored in history

Sturgeon’s family has released an obituary that makes no mention of the circumstances of his death other than to say he ‘passed away’ on April 10

‘Connor was fortunate to have been much loved by his girlfriend, Kelsey Striegel, as well as many friends located all over the country,’ the obituary published on a local news site reads.

DailyMail.com can confirm that Sturgeon and Striegel had been dating since high school. Neighbors say she’d often sleep over at the modest one-story house in Louisville that he shared with Dallas Whelan, his college friend and roommate.

Striegel, who is from New Albany, Indiana, grew up in Louisville. She graduated in 2021 from Indiana University, where she majored in history.

The obituary notes that Sturgeon graduated from Floyd Central High School, where he was a National Merit scholar, a varsity basketball and track athlete, and was named ‘Mr. Floyd Central’ his senior year.

And it highlights the fact that he was a proud graduate of the University of Alabama, where he received the prestigious Presidential Scholarship, studied finance and economics, and earned a Master of Science degree.

‘All who knew Connor knew he loved (and followed) nearly every sport, being a walking database of NBA knowledge, trivia, and statistics,’ the obit reads. ‘More than anything else, Connor loved Alabama football and the Dallas Mavericks.’

It also cites his other passion, his volunteer work with Junior Achievement of Kentuckiana, a non-profit that helped prepare children  for life in the workforce.

A private funeral service was held for family and friends. The obit concludes with the sendoff, ‘Roll Tide, Connor.’

‘Connor was fortunate to have been much loved by his girlfriend, Kelsey Striegel, as well as many friends located all over the country,’ the obituary reads

Connor (far right) is pictured with his parents Todd and Lisa, and his younger brother Cameron, a professional model. He sent his family and ‘I love you’ text just minutes before the shooting 

Sturgeon left his roommate Dallas Whelan, (right) a chilling voicemail that he felt ‘suicidal’ and planned ‘to kill everyone at the bank’

Sturgeon had lived in this modest two-bedroom home in Louisville for about a year before the April 10 shooting

The mass-murderer legally purchased an AR-15 assault rifle on April 4, six days before he entered the bank at 8:33am April 10, and killed Juliana Farmer, 57, Tommy Elliott, 63, Joshua Barrick, 40, James Tutt, 64, and mother-of-two Deana Eckert, 57.

Sturgeon was killed in an exchange of gunfire with one of two cops who arrived at the scene minutes later.

DailyMail.com exclusively revealed that Sturgeon wrote a chilling, 13-page manifesto, describing his goals before the horror at the downtown bank, where the 25-year-old livestreamed the massacre on Instagram as he gunned down co-workers at their morning conference.

Sturgeon made three key points in the manifesto, which is now in the hands of the police: he wanted to kill himself, he wanted to prove how easy it was to buy a gun in Kentucky and he wanted to highlight the mental health crisis in America.

His family revealed the commercial development specialist had mental health problems and was on medication.

He joined the bank in 2021 but executives were reported to have lost confidence in him as he struggled to fit in. However, his family’s attorney has told DailyMail.com that he did not face losing his job.

His roommate Dallas Whelan, 24, had no idea his close friend was planning the atrocity – or that he had bought the weapon from a local dealer, a family spokesman told DailyMail.com.

But Whelan later received a note from Sturgeon indicating he was going to open fire in the bank, a law enforcement source told CNN. The killer wrote a similar note to his parents.

Additionally, Sturgeon left a chilling voicemail to Whelan that he felt ‘suicidal’ and planned ‘to kill everyone at the bank’, a police dispatch audio has revealed.

The audio also revealed police were approached by Sturgeon’s mother Lisa and younger brother Cameron at the scene after the rampage.

According to the tape on scanner app Broadcastify, an officer says: ’25-year-old white male, Connor Sturgeon 6′ 4′. He’s texted a friend, called a friend, left a voicemail saying he’s gonna kill everyone at the bank. Feeling suicidal.’

Sturgeon is pictured in surveillance footage, casually dressed while holding an AR-15-style rifle. According to his manifesto, the shooting was intended to be a suicide mission for the gunman, who was suffering from mental health problems

In police bodycam footage, officers can be heard saying that the suspect was ‘down’ after a few minutes of exchanging gunfire

Sturgeon’s distraught family issued a statement a day later saying: ‘No words can express our sorrow, anguish, and horror at the unthinkable harm our son Connor inflicted on innocent people, their families, and the entire Louisville community.

‘We mourn their loss and that of our son, Connor. We pray for everyone traumatized by his senseless acts of violence and are deeply grateful for the bravery and heroism of the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department.

‘While Connor, like many of his contemporaries, had mental health challenges which we, as a family, were actively addressing, there were never any warning signs or indications he was capable of this shocking act.

‘While we have many unanswered questions, we will continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement officials and do all we can to aid everyone in understanding why and how this happened.’

The Sturgeon family’s attorney, Peter Palmer, told DailyMail.com that the killer was receiving professional mental health care as well as medication.

Sturgeon’s family also feared he may have suffered from CTE as a result of his high school basketball career that saw him get hit in the head so many times that he had to wear a soft helmet during games.

According to Palmer, Sturgeon had ‘concussion issues’ which ‘have always been a concern to the family…so there is a question in their minds this could have played a role’.

Twelve minutes of mayhem. How the Louisville bank shooting unfolded 

April 10, 8:33am – Connor Sturgeon, a 25-year-old employee of Old National, arrives at the bank. He shoots a receptionist, goes into the conference room and murders five. He then returns to the lobby and awaits the arriving officers.

8:38am – Police officers are dispatched. 

8:41am – Officers Nickolas Wilt and Cory Galloway arrive on scene. They approach the building, and Wilt, second up the steps, is shot in the head.

8:42am – Galloway falls to the floor then scrambles down the steps to seek cover, looking for a clear sight to take the gunman down. 

8:44am – Gunfire is exchanged, and Galloway yells: ‘I think I got him down. I think he’s down! Suspect down, get the officer.’

8:45am – Galloway enters the building and confirms Sturgeon is dead. 

Source: Read Full Article