The 25-year-old man who killed five people and injured eight at a bank in Louisville, Kentucky, before police shot him dead left a 13-page manifesto that cited three reasons for why he carried out the massacre April 10 at his place of employment.
The Daily Mail reported Friday that Connor Sturgeon wrote in the manifesto, which is in police custody, that he wanted to kill himself, to prove how easy it was to purchase a gun in Kentucky, and to bring focus to the mental health crisis in the U.S.
Louisville Metro Police Department Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel said at a news conference that Sturgeon bought the rifle he used in the massacre at Old National Bank in downtown Louisville from a local dealership on April 4.
According to The Daily Mail, Kentucky does not require a firearms permit for eligible adults and the state has no laws prohibiting residents from buying a gun if they have mental health disorders, violent misdemeanor convictions, domestic abuse-related restraining orders, or substance abuse disorders.
Sturgeon's family is trying to prevent the weapon used in the attack from being auctioned by the state. Since 1998, Kentucky's General Assembly has required State Police to sell confiscated firearms, The Courier-Journal reported. The proceeds have been used to buy personal body armor and other equipment for police.
In the statement released by one of the couple's attorneys, The Courier-Journal reported the family said it was "aghast to learn Kentucky law mandated the assault rifle used in the horrific event be sold to the highest bidder at public auction."
They said they were working vigorously to ensure the weapon is legally destroyed.
The family previously said Sturgeon had been suffering from "mental health challenges" that the family said it was addressing, and they had no warning signs ahead of the massacre.
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