BENTON, Ky. — A 15-year-old student opened fire Tuesday at a high school in rural Kentucky, killing two people and wounding a dozen more, authorities said
The members of Impact Church lit candles and sang Amazing Grace on Tuesday evening during a service in remembrance of the two killed and 17 injured during a shooting at Marshall County High School in Benton, Ky., on Jan. 23, 2018. Michael Clevenger, USA TODAY NETWORK
Gov. Matt Bevin said five others suffered non-shooting injuries in the rampage and chaos that followed at Marshall County High School in Benton. Authorities believe all the victims were students, Bevin said.
He said the suspect would be charged with murder and attempted murder.
“This is a wound that will take a long time to heal,” Bevin said. “For some in this community it will never heal.”
Police identified the two students who died as Bailey Holt, 15, who was pronounced dead at the school, and Preston Cope, also 15, who was airlifted to Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, where he died.
The shooting took place in a common area of the school at 7:57 a.m. local time, before classes started, authorities said. The 911 call came in two minutes later. First responders reached the scene at 8:06 a.m., and the shooter was taken into custody “in a non-violent apprehension,” Bevin said.
Marshall County Attorney Jeff Edwards said it did not appear the gunman targeted specific people. He called the scene “indescribable.”
“To walk in, the backpacks laying around. The phones laying around, going off … it’s indescribable,” Edwards said. “I’ve been doing this for 25 years. It’s not like anything I’ve experienced in my life.”
Kentucky State Police Lt. Michael Webb speaks during a media briefing at the Marshall County Board of Education following a shooting at Marshall County High School in Benton, Ky. on Jan. 23, 2018. A couple of students were killed and others injured Tuesday morning at Marshall County High School when a 15-year-old classmate opened fire. Ryan Hermens, The Paducah Sun via AP
Kentucky State Police Lt. Michael Webb speaks during a media briefing at the Marshall County Board of Education following a shooting at Marshall County High School in Benton, Ky. on Jan. 23, 2018. A couple of students were killed and others injured Tuesday morning at Marshall County High School when a 15-year-old classmate opened fire. Ryan Hermens, The Paducah Sun via AP
State Police, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco
, Firearms and Explosives were on the scene.
Students were bused from the high school to a nearby middle school. Benton is a town of less than 5,000 people in western Kentucky, about 120 miles northwest of Nashville. Several victims were taken to the hospital at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.
“This is a tremendous tragedy and speaks to the heartbreak present in our communities,” Bevin said in a separate statement. “It is unbelievable that this would happen in a small, close-knit community like Marshall County. As there is still much unknown, I encourage people to love on each other at this time. “
