BREAKING: Louisville bank shooter left manifesto stating anti-gun motive for massacre: report

The now-deceased 25-year-old, who suffered from myriad mental health issues, stated that his decision to gun down his former colleagues at the bank was based on a number of factors, not least as a way to show how easy it was for someone like him to obtain a firearm.

The Daily Mail exclusively obtained details about the manifesto, which is currently in the hands of police, and reported that in the document, Sturgeon stated that he wanted to carry out the massacre to show how simple it was to purchase a gun in Kentucky and highlight the mental health crisis in America. He also made it clear that he was on a suicide mission.

While Sturgeon did not say much about the firearm before the shooting, he made it clear on numerous occasions that he was suicidal and ready to end his life, and those of others, at the bank, saying as much to a friend just prior to the attack.

Sturgeon got his hands on an AR-15 just six days prior to the attack. According to Kentucky law, having a mental health disorder, violent misdemeanor convictions, domestic abuse-related restraining orders, or substance abuse disorders does not disqualify a resident of the state from purchasing and owning a firearm.

As the Daily Mail reports, state law also requires that firearms seized by police be auctioned off to the highest bidder, however, Sturgeon's family pleaded with the Louisville Metro Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms to destroy the weapon. The ATF took possession of the gun on Monday, however, it has not yet been disposed of.

This is a breaking story and will be updated.