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A Louisville Metro Police Department officer, Nickolas Wilt, aged 26, was shot in the head when he responded to a mass shooting at a bank on Monday, April 10. The horrific shooting, which reportedly killed five people and left several many injured as well, happened shortly after 8:30 am local time, around half an hour after the bank opened that day.
The Interim Chief of the Louisville Metro Police Department disclosed that Wilt had to undergo brain surgery after the shootout and is now on the way to recovery. The officer reportedly joined the department recently after he graduated from the police academy on March 31.
Trigger warning: This article contains graphic mentions of gun violence. Reader discretion is advised.
The five victims killed in Monday's shootout have been identified as Joshua Barrick, Tommy Elliott, Deana Eckert, Juliana Farmer, and James Tutt. All were aged between 40 and 64, and one of them is also a good friend of Governor Andy Beshear.
LMPD Chief stated that officer Nickolas Wilt did not even hesitate for a bit before jumping in to save people from the gunman
On Monday, shortly after the Old National Bank of Louisville opened, a massive mass shootout took place that killed five victims and also injured many. One of the two responding officers, Nickolas Wilt, was struck with a bullet in the head when he reportedly “ran towards the fire” to “save lives.” The officer had to undergo brain surgery for the gunshot wound and has been listed in critical condition now.
Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel, the Louisville Metro Police Department Chief, spoke about Wilt and stated:
“I just swore him in and his family was there to witness his journey to become a police officer.”
Villaroel further stated that Wilt did not hesitate even a bit before jumping in to save people from the gunman, adding:
“Nick has come out of brain surgery and is in critical but stable condition.”
Villaroel continued by saying:
“[Had Wilt and the officer not] taken it upon themselves to not wait to assess everything but just went in to assess the threat so that more lives would not be lost. I asked my officers when I addressed them today: ‘If we don’t do it, who will?’ Evil cannot prevail and try to take over our city.”
Rep. Morgan McGarvey revealed that on the day of the tragic incident, Nickolas Wilt was on the fourth shift.
It was discovered that before becoming a cop, Wilt served in the LaGrange Fire Department for around seven years; before that, he graduated from Oldham County High School back in 2016. Mayor Keith Smith stated that it wasn’t shocking that the officer jumped in to save people’s lives, without worrying about his own safety. Smith added:
“[Wilt] would be right there in front of it, doing whatever job needed to be done.”
A law enforcement source stated that a field training officer brought Wilt to the shooting site. While responding officers reached the site within 3 minutes after being dispatched, the shooter was still shooting inside the establishment. Apart from Nickolas Wilt, another officer sustained injuries and had to be hospitalized.
Medical professionals state that Nickolas Wilt has a long road to recovery in the future
The suspect was identified as a 25-year-old bank employee who was killed by field training officer Cory Galloway, the latter accompanied Wilt to the shooting scene that day.
Three victims of the shooting were declared stable on Tuesday, April 11, and the remaining four have been released. Hospital authorities reportedly used over 170 units of blood for the victims’ treatment.
Apart from the details provided, authorities have not yet revealed any other information about the incident and Nickolas Wilt’s actions. Dr. Jason Smith from the University of Louisville Health Chief Medical Officer stated that just like other patients, Wilt also has “a long road of recovery.” He added:
“If we can get through 24 hours, then we’ll get them through another 24 hours. We’ll keep doing that until they’re out of the hospital.”
The recent mass-shooting comes on the heels of the March 27 Nashville incident that took place when Audrey Hale open-fired at several people at The Covenant School in Nashville, killing three adults and three young children aged 9.
