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WATCH: Louisville police release footage of shooting response
Police in Louisville, Kentucky, have released bodycam footage of the fatal shootout between police and a banker who gunned down five colleagues.
The video shows two officers getting shot as they advanced towards the lurking gunman during Monday’s attack.
One officer was hit in the head, while the other suffered a graze wound before killing the suspect.
Deputy Police Chief Paul Humphrey said the videos show the officers heroically intervening to save lives.
Four people – including the police officer who was shot in the head – remain in hospital.
Police say the 25-year-old suspect used a legally purchased AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle during the attack, which he was live-streaming.
Officers arrived three minutes after the first emergency call was placed at 08:38 local time.
Officer Cory Galloway and rookie Officer Nickolas Wilt charged toward the building after their patrol car came under fire, according to the video.
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Watch: Two men recall the terrifying moments at the Louisville bank
The clip shows that as they moved up the stairs to the building entrance, a barrage of shots were fired. Officer Wilt was hit, although the video does not show this.
A bullet also grazed Officer Galloway’s shoulder, sending him diving to the bottom of the steps for cover behind a concrete planter.
“The shooter has an angle on that officer,” he says to other police as they arrive. “We need to get up there. I don’t know where he’s at, the glass is blocking him.”
The gunman was at an elevated position to the officers, and was able to see outside through glass windows of the Old National Bank that officers could not see into.
After he fired again at the officers, breaking the glass, Officer Galloway was able to spot the suspect and fired at him until he collapsed in the building’s lobby area.
“I think I got him down. I think he’s down,” he is heard shouting. “Suspect down. Get the officer.”
Deputy Chief Humphrey says the officers’ actions saved lives, both by stopping the gunman from killing more employees and by giving first aid to the victims.
Officer Wilt, 26, who had been sworn in to the force 10 days earlier, was taken to hospital in a police car. He remains in a critical condition.
Another officer drove an ambulance to hospital so medical workers could remain in the back of the vehicle with a victim.
Meanwhile, the legally purchased AR-15-style rifle used by the killer will probably be auctioned to the public, officials say.
Under current state law, guns confiscated by local police – including those used in homicides – are returned to state police and then made available for purchase at auction.
In February, the Louisville mayor ordered local police to temporarily disable seized weapons before handing them over to state police for resale.
Mayor Craig Greenberg told a news conference on Tuesday: “Under current Kentucky law, the assault rifle that was used to murder five of our neighbours and shoot at rescuing police officers will one day be auctioned off.
“Think about that. That murder weapon will be back on the streets.”
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