Five killed, several injured in Kentucky shooting

Five people were killed and six others hospitalised on Monday after a downtown shooting at a Louisville bank building in Kentucky, according to police.

“Five people have been confirmed to have been killed inside. At least six were transported to the University of Louisville hospital, including one officer with various injuries,” a police spokesman told a press conference.

The six injured people were transported to the hospital including a police officer, said Louisville Metro Police Deputy Chief Paul Humphrey, who also confirmed that the suspected shooter was dead.

While describing the incident, Humphrey said that first on-scene officers "encountered active gunshots still being fired inside the location at that time."

While he confirmed the shooter was dead, the police were not aware of the exact circumstances of his death at this time.

According to a local TV station, witnesses who managed to leave the building heard shots being fired inside the building.

People who had been injured during the shooting were taken from the scene in ambulances, local media reported.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said he was heading to the scene and tweeted: "LMPD has confirmed a shooting situation in downtown Louisville with multiple casualties. I am headed there now. Please pray for all of the families impacted and for the city of Louisville."

The shooting happened in a building on East Main Street that houses the Old National Bank in the city of 625,000 people.

The authorities looking into the incident believe that it may have been a situation of workplace violence. They think that the suspect might be an employee, according to two senior officials, as reported by NBC.

It is also suspected that the shooter may have been suffering from mental health issues, they said.

Moreover, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) confirmed that it was too was looking into the incident.