2 Teens Dead, 12 Others Wounded at Kentucky School

Alleged shooter is a 15-year-old boy
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 23, 2018 11:22 AM CST
Updated Jan 23, 2018 3:30 PM CST
Report: One Dead, Several Injured in Ky. School Shooting
Police escort a person, second from right, out of the Marshall County High School after shooting there, Tuesday, Jan 23, 2018, in Benton, Ky.   (Dominico Caporali via AP)

Another school shooting is in the news, this time in western Kentucky. Two 15-year-olds, a boy and a girl, were fatally shot Tuesday morning at Marshall County High School in Benton, Kentucky. Twelve others were injured by gunfire, and another five were otherwise injured in the chaos that ensued, says Gov. Matt Bevin. The alleged shooter is in custody and has been identified only as a 15-year-old classmate of the victims. More details on what is and isn't known:

  • The shooting: Police say the shooter entered the school just before 8am and opened fire with a handgun. First responders got to the school in about nine minutes, and a deputy arrested the suspect. "He was apprehended non-violently at the scene," says Lt. Michael Webb of the State Police, per NBC News. "There is no way to tell how far it would have gone." A school law enforcement or resource officer was at the school when the shooting occurred, per Kentucky.com.
  • The motive: Police have not speculated on one. The suspect, who is expected to be charged with murder and attempted murder, was pictured being led away in handcuffs.

  • The victims: Few details were being released, but most of the victims were believed to be students. The deceased girl was dead at the scene, and the boy died at a hospital. Authorities have not identified them. At least two of those injured had gunshot wounds to the head, reports the Lexington Herald Leader.
  • The scene: The shooting erupted in a school common area, just before the start of classes. "I tried to run, but I fell," says 16-year-old Lexie Waymon. "I heard someone hit the ground. It was so close to me. 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."
  • The escape: "They was running and crying and screaming," Mitchell Garland, who provided shelter to dozens of students at his nearby business, tells the AP. "They was just kids running down the highway. They were trying to get out of there."
  • Training: Students at the school, located about 120 miles northwest of Nashville, Tenn., recently underwent training on what to do in the event of an "active shooter," says State Police chief Rick Sanders. They "did exactly as they were trained," he said, per Kentucky.com.
  • Second in 2 days: The shooting follows another at a high school in the town of Italy, Texas, on Monday. Police there say a 16-year-old boy shot a 15-year-old girl in the school cafeteria. She is recovering in the hospital, and the suspect has been charged as a juvenile with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, reports NBC 5. One group counts nearly 300 school shootings since 2013.
(More school shooting stories.)

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