Kentucky governor gives emotional response to shooting: ‘I had a very close friend that didn’t make it today’

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) gave an emotional response to a Monday shooting at a bank in downtown Louisville that killed at least five victims and wounded at least seven others.

“This is awful. I have a very close friend that didn’t make it today. And I have another close friend who didn’t, either, and one who is at the hospital that I hope is gonna make it through,” Beshear said at a news conference.

“So when we talk about praying, I hope people will. For those that we are hoping can make it through the surgeries that they’re going through. And then we’ve got to … wrap our arms around these families. And everybody who needs it, don’t be afraid to get some help. Our bodies and our minds are not meant to go through these types of tragedies,” Beshear said.

The governor thanked law enforcement “for doing their best to try to save some of my friends and many others.” Beshear had announced shortly after reports of the shooting that he was headed to downtown Louisville.

The Louisville Metro Police Department said officers were on scene “in minutes” after calls came in about an “active aggressor” around 8:30 a.m. local time at the Old National Bank.

Police say the suspected lone shooter was also dead after an exchange of gunshots with officers, though it’s not yet clear whether the shooter died from the exchange or from a self-inflicted wound.

At least seven people are being treated for injuries, including two officers who were shot during the incident, police say. Two people are in critical condition.