Crime

Mayor slams Kentucky law that allows gun in bank shooting to be sold

Louisville's mayor criticized a state law that allows guns to be auctioned after they are confiscated by the Department of Kentucky State Police.

Screen grab taken from the body cam video of officer responding to Louisville bank shooting
Louisville Metro Police Department via AP
SMS

Louisville's mayor slammed a Kentucky law that allows for guns used in crimes, including mass shootings, to be auctioned off. 

During a press conference about Monday's mass shooting at a Louisville bank that left five dead and nine others injured, Mayor Craig Greenberg was critical of gun laws in his state. 

“That murder weapon will be back on the streets one day under Kentucky’s current law,” he said.

Greenberg was referring to a law that states "all firearms confiscated by the Department of Kentucky State Police" shall be sold at a public auction to federally licensed firearms dealers.

Twenty percent of the money raised goes back to the police department. In a letter to federal firearms license holders in 2021, the Kentucky State Police commissioner said that the proceeds have helped law enforcement acquire body armor and other equipment. 

The other 80% of the funds raised goes to the state Office of Homeland Security. 

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Despite how the proceeds are being used, Greenberg doesn't believe it's worth it.

"Let us destroy illegal guns and destroy the guns that have been used to kill our friends and kill our neighbors," he said. 

The Louisville Police Department released officer body cam video on Tuesday. It showed the gunman shooting one of the responding officers. 

Nickolas Wilt suffered a gunshot wound to the head and was reportedly listed in critical condition as of Tuesday. 

His partner, Corey Galloway, managed to escape the initial gunshots and hide behind a planter. When the shooter began firing again, the glass in the front of the bank shattered, allowing him to see the shooter. Galloway is then seen firing his rifle and taking down the shooter. 

As he approached the shooter's body, a high-powered rifle could be seen next to the gunman. 

The actions of all of those who responded to the scene within minutes were described as heroic. 

"That's superhuman. Those men are amazing. The women that responded are amazing," Louisville Metro Police Department Deputy Chief Paul Humphrey said. "The EMS workers, the firefighters, if you guys don't know, EMS and fire go inside that scene with us before we're able to say that it's safe."

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