The family of Connor Sturgeon—who was killed after he fatally shot five people last week at the Old National Bank in Louisville, Kentucky—plans to have his brain tested for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, commonly known as CTE, his father and a spokesperson for the family told CNN.
“Yes, Connor is being tested for CTE. Probably will take a while to get results,” Todd Sturgeon, Connor Sturgeon’s father, texted to CNN on April 13.
Pete Palmer, a family friend who is speaking for the Sturgeons, said the family and the state medical examiner are looking to have Connor Sturgeon’s brain tested.
The medical examiner’s office has completed most of its tests, and the process of testing for CTE will now begin, Palmer said.
CNN has reached out to the Kentucky state medical examiner for further information.
CTE, a neurodegenerative brain disease, can be found in people who have been exposed to repeated head trauma. Studies have found that repetitive hits to the head—even without concussion—can result in CTE.
Sturgeon’s family thinks he had three significant concussions—two as an eighth-grade football player and one in basketball as a high school freshman, according to Palmer.
The disease, which can only be diagnosed with an autopsy and neuropathological exam, is pathologically marked by a buildup of tau protein in the brain that can disable neuropathways and lead to a variety of symptoms including memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, aggression, depression, anxiety, impulse control issues and sometimes suicidal behavior.
However, experts note that symptoms like these may not necessarily be caused by CTE; they could be caused by head injuries themselves—or by something completely unrelated.
Police have not released information about a motive in the shooting.
The testing disclosure comes as more families are talking about their loved ones who were killed.
The daughter of Juliana Farmer, one of the five who were killed, said Wednesday night her mother had just moved to Louisville two weeks prior for a new job at the bank.
“This monster took away my mother, and I’m hurt because my mother moved here to help me, a single mom with four kids. I only got two weeks with her here in Louisville … a city she knew nothing about,” Alia Chambers told CNN. “I’m heartbroken. I hated him. I hated him but I forgive him because my mama is in a better place.”
Farmer moved to Louisville from Henderson, Kentucky, and was thrilled to begin her role with Old National Bank as a loan officer.
“My mom went from working at 19 years old at Kmart to sitting with executives at a bank. I’m gonna fulfill my mama’s dream. Either I’m going back to nursing school or I’m gonna ask them, can I take over her position at that bank,” she said. “She was so excited about that job. She was happy.”
Farmer had three adult children and four grandsons, Chambers said.
The day before she was killed, she found out her son, J’Yeon Chambers, was expecting a baby girl, he told CNN. The baby is due in September, the same month his mother was born.
“And so it’s just crazy how she gets taken the day after we reveal that we’re having the baby. So my child is going to be her basically all over again,” her son said. “She gave us the name that she always wanted a girl to be named and we’re going to stick with it.”
Sturgeon, a 25-year-old Old National Bank employee, opened fire in the bank about a half-hour before it was to open to the public, killing five colleagues before he was fatally shot by a responding officer. Farmer, Joshua Barrick, Tommy Elliott, Deana Eckert, and James Tutt were shot and killed, police said.
Of the eight people who were wounded, a 26-year-old police officer remains in critical condition after being shot in the head. Seven others who were hospitalized have been released, officials said.
The CNN Wire and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
