Louisville shooting victims: What to know about 5 killed, cop injured days after graduating academy

Joshua Barrick, 40; Deana Eckert, 57; Thomas Elliott, 63; Juliana Farmer, 45; and James Tutt, 64, were gunned down.

ByTeddy Grant and Morgan Winsor ABCNews logo
Tuesday, April 11, 2023
5th victim dies in Louisville bank shooting
Five victims were killed in a mass shooting at a bank in Louisville, Kentucky. Here's what we know about them.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Authorities have identified the five people who were killed in a mass shooting at a bank in Kentucky's largest city on Monday morning.

Joshua Barrick, 40; Deana Eckert, 57; Thomas Elliott, 63; Juliana Farmer, 45; and James Tutt, 64, were all gunned down at Old National Bank in Louisville, according to the Louisville Metro Police Department.

Eight others, including a 26-year-old Louisville police officer, were injured in the shooting.

Officer Nickolas Wilt, who had just graduated from the Louisville Metro Police Department Training Academy on March 31, was shot in the head while responding to the scene. He underwent brain surgery and is in critical but stable condition, police said.

The police department said on Twitter that Wilt "ran towards the gunfire today to save lives."

Here's what we know about the slain victims:

Joshua Barrick, 40

Joshua Barrick was among those killed in the shooting, according to police.

Hundreds gathered Monday evening at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, where Barrick was an active member. The church placed a photo of him with a wide smile on its alter, as well as a second of Barrick with his wife and two young children.

"He was so well known, he made himself known," said Pastor Shayne Duvall. "This community is mourning. We're trying to wrap our heads around it."

Duvall remembered Barrick as a big guy with a bubbly personality who coached basketball for the the first and second graders at the parish's grade school. He described him as "very charismatic, very charming" and said Barrick was among the first who welcomed him when he came to the church less than a year ago.

Barrick had worked for about two decades in banking and previously worked at WesBanco, according to The Courier-Journal. Louisville Business First named him one of its 20 People to Know in Banking in 2020.

Deana Eckert, 57

Deana Eckert was among those killed in the shooting, according to police.

Thomas Elliott, 63

Thomas "Tommy" Elliott was among those killed in the shooting, according to police. He was a close friend of both Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg.

During a press conference on Monday afternoon, Greenberg revealed that Elliott was "a very good friend of mine," while Beshear told reporters that Elliott "was one of my closest friends."

"Tommy Elliot helped me build my law career, helped me become governor, gave me advice on being a good dad," the governor said. "One of the people I talk to most in the world and very rarely were we talking about my job."

Democratic U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey, who represents Louisville, knew Elliott for years and said, "It's unimaginable to me that he's not here."

"He enjoyed life," McGarvey said. "He enjoyed people. He enjoyed being in the mix. He enjoyed trying to get stuff done to move Louisville and Kentucky forward. He was serious about it, but he had fun with it."

Elliott's network of friends included Louisville native Lonnie Ali, the wife of the late boxing great Muhammad Ali. She pointed to his sense of humor and his commitment to his community.

"Tommy was such a warm, wonderful, funny, kind guy," she said. "Just the sweetest person. And it's just such a huge loss, not just to his friends and family, but to the community. Because that's what Tommy was about. Tommy was about community."

"I'm going to miss him so much," she added.

Louisville's former Mayor Greg Fischer said Elliott was a devoted family man. He is survived by his wife, two daughters and two stepdaughters. Fischer said it's hard for him to imagine the hole that's been left for them.

Juliana Farmer, 45

Farmer was among those killed in the shooting, according to police.

She was a loan officer, a mother and grandmother, according to the Herald-Leader.

James Tutt, 64

James Tutt was among those killed in the shooting, according to police.

Tutt was a Frankfort native who graduated from the University of Kentucky and worked in banking for over 38 years, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Oldham County Judge-Executive David Voegele told the Courier-Journal that Tutt served on the Oldham-La Grange Development Authority from 2011-2022, including a number of years as its chair.

"He added a tremendous amount of insights as we went about developing our office park in LaGrange," Voegele said. "He's a very high quality, well-thought-of individual ... It's just sickening to hear what's happened."

The Associated Press and ABC News' Emily Shapiro contributed to this report.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Copyright © 2024 ABC News Internet Ventures.