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Police in Kentucky have released audio of panicked emergency calls during a mass shooting that left five people dead at a bank, including from the gunman's own mother.

She is heard telling a 911 dispatcher her son "currently has a gun" and is heading for the bank in Louisville, but "he's a really good kid".

The callers included a woman who hid in a closet during the attack.

Eight people, including two policemen, were also wounded in Monday's shooting.

The 25-year-old attacker, who worked at the Old National Bank, was fatally shot by police in the building's lobby.

In about 30 minutes of 911 calls released by Louisville police on Wednesday, the woman identifying herself as the suspect's mother says her son is "non-violent" and "doesn't own any guns".

"He's never hurt anyone," she says, adding: "Please don't punish him."

She adds that she received a tip-off from his roommate, who was "very concerned".

"We don't even own guns," she says. "I don't know where he would have gotten a gun."

The gunman's mother asks if she can go to the bank, but the dispatcher advises her to stay away because police are already responding to a "dangerous" situation there.

In a separate 911 call, another woman is heard quietly telling the dispatcher that she is "in a closet hiding".

"He works with us," she whispers about the gunman. Gunshots can be heard in the background.

Asked by the dispatcher about injuries, she says: "I just saw a lot of blood."

The fatalities were Thomas Elliott, 63, James Tutt, 64, Joshua Barrick, 40, Julianna Farmer, 45, and Deana Eckert, 57.

On Tuesday, authorities released bodycam footage showing police officers arriving at the scene within three minutes and engaging in a shoot-out with the gunman.

The gunman, Connor Sturgeon, used a legally purchased AR-15 semi-automatic rifle to kill five colleagues, while live-streaming the attack on Instagram.

His family released a statement late on Tuesday saying they had been addressing his mental health challenges, but there were no warning signs he could commit such an act.

"No words can express our sorrow, anguish, and horror at the unthinkable harm our son Connor inflicted on innocent people, their families, and the entire Louisville community," they said.