Sad New Details Revealed About The Kentucky Teen Who Opened Fire On His High School And Killed Two Of His Classmates
At least 18 people were injured.
Hindustan Times A 15-year-old student opened fire at a Kentucky high school Tuesday morning, killing two and injuring 18 other classmates.
The male suspect, whose name has not been released by authorities, was apprehended by police and taken into custody after committing the nation’s first deadly school shooting in 2018.
“All I could keep thinking was, ‘I can’t believe this is happening. I cannot believe this is happening,’” Lexie Waymon, 16, told Associated Press.
The shooter opened fire on his peers at Marshall County High School in Benton, Kentucky at 7:57 a.m. Tuesday morning.
“He was determined. He knew what he was doing,” Alexandria Caporali, 16, said. “It was one right after another — bang, bang, bang, bang, bang.”
Caporali said that he kept firing until he ran out of ammunition and then attempted to flee the scene.
“No one screamed,” Caporali said. “It was almost completely silent as people just ran.”
Police arrived at the school just nine minutes after the shooting and arrested the suspect.
“He was apprehended by the sheriff’s department here on site, at the school, thankfully before any more lives could be taken,” Kentucky State Police Lt. Michael Webb said.
Bailey Nicole Holt died at the scene and Preston Ryan Cope died at the hospital later that day, Kentucky State Police Commissioner Rick Sanders said at a Press conference Tuesday night.
During the quick but fatal shooting, 18 others were injured.
“I blacked out. I couldn't move. I got up and I tried to run, but I fell. I heard someone hit the ground. It was so close to me,” Waymon told AP. “I just heard it and then I just, everything was black for a good minute. Like, I could not see anything. I just froze and did not know what to do. Then I got up and I ran.”
Bailey Culp told AP via text message that she heard a loud noise but thought it was from books being dropped and hitting the floor.
“That’s what I expected it to be, until I saw a body drop on the ground,” Culp wrote. “There was bullets flying everywhere. I ran straight out the door and headed to the highway as fast as I could.”
According to AP, Mitchell Garland let 50 to 100 panicked students hide at his local business.
“They was running and crying and screaming,” Garland said. “Everyone is just scared. Just terrified for their kids,” he added. “We’re a small town and we know a lot of the kids.”
Authorities have not released a motive but Webb said they are looking into the suspect’s background and home life.
“These children belong to this community and to specific families in this community,” Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin said at the press conference. “And this is a wound that will take a long time to heal and, for some in this community, will never heal. Please respect these families.”
Authorities said the gunman will be charged with two counts murder and multiple counts of attempted murder. Former congresswoman Gabby Giffords is calling for stricter gun laws.
“It’s horrifying that we can no longer call school shootings 'unimaginable' because the reality is they happen with alarming frequency,” she said.
This shooting occurred just one day after a 16-year-old was shot by a gunman at a Texas high school.
"Our nation's schools should be some of the safest spaces in our communities," said Giffords, who went on to say that there have already been 13 mass shootings in the country this year. "And it's only January."