Connor Sturgeon was identified by police as the gunman that killed five people and injured another nine people at the Old National Bank in downtown Louisville on Monday. An anonymous classmate said that there is more to the story than Sturgeon being labeled as a disgruntled employee.
Was Mass Shooter Connor Sturgeon A Star Athlete?
According to reports, the 25-year-old was a three-sport star athlete at Floyd Central High School in Floyds Knobs, Indiana. The classmate told The Daily Beast that Sturgeon was known as “Mr. Floyd Central.” He stated that Sturgeon played football, basketball, and ran track.
“We played football together in eighth grade. He was out most of the year because he had multiple concussions,” he said. “Then he had a couple more in high school.”
The classmate continued by saying that Sturgeon suffered so many concussions from middle to high school that he had to wear a helmet while playing basketball.
A photo resurfaced of Sturgeon as a junior in high school wearing a helmet during a basketball game. The classmate told the Daily beast he couldn’t help but think of Sturgeon’s injuries and link them to athletes who suffered multiple concussions and went on to harm themselves or others.
Did Sports Injuries Lead To Brain Damage For Sturgeon?
“This is a total shock. He was a really good kid who came from a really good family,” said the classmate told CNN. “I can’t even say how much this doesn’t make sense. I can’t believe it.”
It was also reported by CNN that Sturgeon had trouble fitting in, but he had shown no red flags of someone who would do what he did.
Dr.Bennet Omalu was the first to identify and name Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy or better known as CTE. He identified the disease being associated with athletes that played football and wrestled. The disease is a progressive traumatic brain injury found in athletes that play physical sports that experience repeated blows to their heads.
CTE Prevalent In Deceased NFL Players
In February, Boston University CTE Center announced that they studied the brains 376 former NFL players for the disease and found CTE in 346, or 91.7 percent of the players. As of now, CTE can’t be diagnosed in the brains of living people, but the brain-eroding effects of the disease can be clearly seen in retired players who are living. Or just barely living.
According to the Concussion Legacy Foundation, people diagnosed with CTE usually have impaired thinking and memory and are prone to aggression, mood swings, depression and paranoia.
The most notable case in American history for CTE is former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez. He was convicted of first degree murder for killing his fiancee’s sister’s boyfriend Odin Lloyd. Hernandez was found to have chronic CTE after he committed suicide in 2017 while serving a life sentence in prison.
The anonymous classmate of Sturgeon hinted he possibly suffered from chronic CTE as well. If so, it could explain him livestreaming his violent rampage on Instagram that resulted in the police shooting him dead.
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