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A Louisville doctor involved in treating wounded victims of a mass shooting that killed five people at a bank on Monday called on lawmakers to take action against gun violence.
“To everyone who helps make politics… I would just ask you to do something. Because doing nothing, which is what we've been doing, isn't working,” University of Louisville Hospital medical director Jason Smith said at a news conference.
Smith said treating three or more gunshot victims "is not an uncommon day" at the hospital, and that staff "had barely had to adjust our operating room hours to be able to do this" due to the frequency of gun violence in community.
“For 15 years I have cared for victims of violence and gunshot wounds. And people say 'I'm tired', but sick, it's more than tired. I'm tired," Smith said. "There are so many times you can walk into a room and tell someone you're not coming home tomorrow."
“And it just breaks your heart. When you hear someone yell, 'mommy' or 'daddy,' it becomes too difficult day after day to be able to do that,” he added.
Doctor urges action on violence
Smith said his team performed emergency surgery yesterday on three of the victims of the Old National Bank shooting. Doctors had to act quickly and professionally under pressure, he said, and he praised his team for a job well done. But "caring for three shooting victims…is not an uncommon day for us."
"We train for this," Smith said. "It's very difficult to be able to process what's going on during that time."
Once out of the operating room, however, the emotional toll of the job catches up with everyone, "sooner or later." Smith got emotional Tuesday as he talked about the "horrific" injuries he's seen over the years with little change in policy to stop the violence.
"I don't know what the answers are. I'm a doctor," Smith said. “But to everyone who helps make policy, whether at the state, municipal, federal level… I would just ask you to do something. Because doing nothing, which is what we've been doing, isn't working."
Criticism of Kentucky's gun laws
The victims have been identified as: Tommy Elliott, 63; Jim Tutt, 64; Josh Barrick, 40; Juliana Farmer, 57; and Deana Eckert, 57.
Eight other victims were also hospitalized, including two police officers who were shot by the gunman after responding to the scene.
One of those officers, Louisville Metropolitan Police Department officer Nickolas Wilt, was shot in the head and is now fighting for his life in the hospital.
Four of the injured have since been released from the hospital, while four remain in the hospital.
Officer Wilt remains in critical condition, another victim is in ICU but in stable condition, while the other two have non-life-threatening injuries.
During Tuesday's news conference, several Kentucky officials criticized the state's lax gun laws that leave law enforcement paralyzed to prevent individuals like Sturgeon from carrying out mass attacks.
Kentucky Rep. Morgan McGarvey criticized people who urged him "not to make this political."
“We don't have the tools on the books to deal with someone who is an imminent danger to themselves or others,” he said.
He urged lawmakers to come together "the American way" to "get the weapons of war off our streets," something he said should not be a political issue.
“That is not a political issue. But it becomes one when Kentucky Republicans prefer to ban books and pronouns and then make Kentucky a sanctuary state for guns,” he said.
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