Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin said Tuesday afternoon that a 15-year-old boy shot 14 people Tuesday morning at a southwestern Kentucky high school. Two of the victims, a 15-year-old boy and 15-year-old girl, died. Five others suffered non-gunshot injuries, the governor said. The suspect in the incident at Marshall County High School in Benton, Kentucky, has been apprehended, according to officials with Marshall County Emergency Management.
Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin tweeted soon after the incident that at least one of the victims died as a result of the shooting, but said there is “much yet unknown” as first responders continue to operate at the school. Kentucky State Police have confirmed one dead.
Kentucky Rep. James Comer confirmed the shooter in custody is a student.
Authorities say seven people have been taken to hospitals. Darlene Lynn of Marshall County Emergency Management stated that some of the wounded were flown by helicopter for medical treatment. Four patients were transported by medical helicopter to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. Their ages and extent of their injuries were unknown.
A half-dozen ambulances and numerous police cars converged on the school. Officers in black fatigues carrying assault rifles showed up as well. Federal authorities also responded, and Gov. Matt Bevin ran out of the Capitol to rush to the school. Parents left their cars on both sides of an adjacent road, desperately trying to find their children.
Kentucky State Police Detective Jody Cash said ” the situation is secure and is no longer active.” Authorities have no reason to think there are any other suspects.
Cash confirmed that one suspect is in custody at the campus, which is staffed by a school resource officer, but could not give details about that suspect. It is not clear if any staff were among the victims.
A Marshall County deputy apprehended the shooter, according to state police. The FBI is en route to the scene.
“This is a tremendous tragedy and speaks to the heartbreak present in our communities,” Bevin said in a statement released on Twitter. “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. Do not speculate, but come alongside each other in support and allow the facts to come out.”