In what clearly appears to be a case of workplace violence, an employee of the National Bank, in Louisville, US, opened fire at his workplace, killing four of his co-workers.
Ironically, incidents such as these have been on the rise in the US, at a time when the mental health of employees has become the focus for most organisations, worldwide.
Connor Sturgeon, the 23-year old employee, entered the Bank with a rifle in his hand and began shooting inside a conference hall on the first floor of the building where he himself worked. Fortunately for the employees, the police reached while he was still firing and shot him dead in an exchange of gunfire.
Nine people were injured in the incident, including two officers of the Louisville Metro Police Department.
One of the police officers injured in the incident had recently joined the Department. The 26-year old officer is now in a critical state after having undergone a surgery for being hit in the head by a bullet.
It is reported that one of the people who lost their lives was a close friend of Andy Beshear, governor of Kentucky. The incident, as per reports, is being treated as an act of targeted workplace violence.
About 14 incidents of shooting and mass killing have occurred in the US before this one in 2023.
Last year, a report released by the UN International Labour Organisation, the Lloyd’s Register Foundation and Gallup, revealed that workplace abuse and violence is widespread, and particularly pronounced among young people, migrants, and wage earners, especially women. Over 22 per cent of the 75,000 workers who were part of the survey conducted across 121 countries, reported having experienced at least one type of violence or harassment at work.
