Mark Stoops sends thoughts to Louisville following tragedy

Tragedy struck Louisville, Kentucky on Monday morning, as 25-year old Connor Sturgeon used an AR-15 style rifle to shoot, injure, and kill his employees and the officers that responded to the scene. Five people were killed, and eight others were injured, including two officers. The shooting occurred on Monday morning at Old National Bank, the place where the attacker worked. On Wednesday afternoon, Kentucky head football coach Mark Stoops said in his press conference, that he was thinking of the many people affected by the shooting.

“I’d also like to mention that before I get into the news conference. I just want to say I’m thinking about all the folks involved in that shooting in Louisville. It affects so many people in so many different ways. And, just, we have a lot of heavy hearts just thinking about them. And just all the different people it affects, not only the terrible tragedy to the folks directly injured, killed, but just all the people around it, so, [we’re] always supportive and thinking about them. We want to help in any way we can,” Stoops said.

The responding officers to the shooting were true heroes. Both were shot by Sturgeon, a bullet grazed the side of one officer, while another was shot in the head. Police said that the shooter was using an AR-15 style rifle that was purchased less than a week before the tragedy, on April 4th.

The statistics surrounding mass shootings in America have been quite troubling for a really long time now. After the mass shooting on Monday in Louisville, the mass shooting death toll nationwide since 2022 has climbed to 883 people. An additional 3,261 people were injured in those shootings. In the state of Kentucky alone, 11 people have died and 48 have been wounded during that time, according to Dan Horn of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

It was certainly a nice gesture by Mark Stoops to offer his thoughts to everyone affected by the horrible tragedy.

Mark Stoops offered his thoughts, Louisville baseball also honored the victims of the shooting in Wednesday night’s game

Before Louisville and Bellarmine took the field on Wednesday evening, they put down five roses, gloves, and baseballs with the names of the victims from Monday’s mass shooting around home plate. The teams then lined up together, splitting players from each other down the lines.

Here are a few pictures of the tribute below.

Playing for something larger than us. #LouisvilleStrong pic.twitter.com/GaDqkoZtTl

— Louisville Baseball (@LouisvilleBSB) April 12, 2023

Louisville baseball defeated Bellarmine on Wednesday evening, 14-2. Their next game will be against Wake Forest on Friday, April 14th. It will be the beginning of a three-game series with the Demon Deacons.