JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
But first, we go to Louisville, Ky., where police still can't say why a gunman killed five coworkers yesterday at Old National Bank. The investigation is expected to be lengthy, but people in Louisville are taking today to reflect on those who died in the mass shooting. Roberto Roldan from Louisville Public Media has more on how the community there is remembering the victims.
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ROBERTO ROLDAN, BYLINE: About a hundred people gathered at Crescent Hill Presbyterian Church Monday night. They were there to grieve and honor those who were killed.
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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Tommy Elliott, Jim Tutt, Josh Barrick, Juliana Farmer.
ROLDAN: Another name would be added to the list later that night - 57-year-old Deana Eckert. The wife and mother of two died after being rushed to the hospital for treatment. At the vigil, Rabbi Ben Freed of Keneseth Israel asked residents to imagine a world without gun violence.
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BEN FREED: Aleinu, as we say in Hebrew. It is on us to help move the hearts and the minds of people who raise our voices and say, (speaking Hebrew) - until when will it be enough?
ROLDAN: While some speakers said the shooting demonstrates the need for gun reform, Jenny Brown asked people not to forget the surviving victims. She's still caring for her brother after he attempted suicide more than four decades ago.
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JENNY BROWN: He can do nothing for himself, and it's been 41 years. So don't forget those who are injured and their families.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: Absolutely.
ROLDAN: Louisville Police say eight people were injured in Monday's shooting. While they haven't released their names, information about the people who were killed has poured out as family and friends express their shock and grief. Forty-year-old Josh Barrick was senior VP of commercial real estate for Old National Bank. He had previously worked at a different bank, which is where he and Ashley Hadley first met.
ASHLEY HADLEY: He did the investment real estate, and I did the personal financing for the owners.
ROLDAN: Hadley said Barrick could be best described as a gentle giant.
HADLEY: You know, just very tall, very broad shouldered, huge smile.
ROLDAN: She said Barrick always found a way to bring the conversation around to his family - his wife and their two young children.
HADLEY: He just was doing his job to create an amazing life for them because they gave him life.
ROLDAN: Another victim, 45-year-old Juliana Farmer, had just moved to Louisville a few weeks ago, according to social media posts from her family and friends. Her last post on Facebook was reacting with joy to the news that her fifth grandchild was on the way. Sixty-four-year-old Jim Tutt had been working at Old National as a market executive for eight years before the shooting. He was also a board member of the Louisville Downtown Partnership, a nonprofit promoting economic growth. Rebecca Fleischaker is executive director of the partnership.
REBECCA FLEISCHAKER: Working with him was always a great experience. He was a very trusted adviser for our board, and I - my heart really goes out to his wife and his kids.
ROLDAN: Sixty-three-year-old Tommy Elliott was also well known in the community. He was a senior vice president of the bank as well as a political donor. In the hours that followed the shooting, a number of elected officials in Kentucky paid tribute to Elliott. Among them was Governor Andy Beshear.
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ANDY BESHEAR: Today I'm hurt, and I know so many people out there are as well. We lost four children of God today, one of whom was one of my closest friends.
ROLDAN: Beshear said Elliott helped him build his law practice and supported his run for state attorney general and then for governor. Several people injured in the mass shooting are still in the hospital, including a Louisville Police officer, 26-year-old Nickolas Wilt, who is fighting for his life after being shot in the head. City officials announced plans for another vigil on Wednesday night to remember the victims, pray for those still receiving care and bring the community together. For NPR News, I'm Roberto Roldan in Louisville. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
