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There was an active shooter at Marshall County High School in Benton, Kentucky, with reports that there were two deaths and multiple other victims, according to police scanner traffic and the governor. The shooter was taken into custody.
At least 14 students were shot. Five more were injured. There was a massive law enforcement response to the school, and first responders were still at the scene.
“As of right now, all patients have been transported that we’re aware of,” police said in the live scanner traffic. You can listen to it here. Here is an archive of the scanner audio:
According to the scanner traffic, one victim had a shot to the torso and one had a graze wound. Police indicated on the scanner that the number of those wounded might have risen to as many as 10 people as students continued to be located and transported to hospitals.
According to WTHR-TV, these are the numbers of victims:
- Two high school students are dead. “A girl was killed immediately, and a boy died later at a hospital, the governor said, adding that all of the victims are believed to be students,” the television station reported.
- Nineteen high school students were injured.
- Of the 19, 14 suffered gunshot wounds.
The governor confirmed the incident, writing on Twitter, “Tragic shooting at Marshall County HS…Shooter is in custody, one confirmed fatality, multiple others wounded…Much yet unknown…Please do not speculate or spread hearsay…Let’s let the first responders do their job and be grateful that they are there to do it for us…” The death toll later increased to two.
The scene was not entirely secured at around 9 a.m. central time. A helicopter was landing at the school. One student was reported to have a broken ankle. The shooting occurred on January 23, 2018. News of the shooting first broke on social media, with multiple people offering prayers for the school community.
According to the scanner traffic, there was a report of several students hiding in the woods, and authorities were focusing some attention on the commons area of the school. “Pray for Marshall County High School, I am a student there and we just had a school shooter, multiple students injured, please pray for us,” wrote one person on Twitter.
Another woman wrote on Facebook that her nephew was safe, as frantic family members sought news of loved ones. “Prayers for Marshall County high school! My nephew… is safe and sound! Had to talk to him and hear his voice and tell him I love him. Prayers for all the children and staff, prayers for the injured,” she wrote.
Police said on the scanner that one parent had called them to report that her daughter was hiding in a closet and wouldn’t come out until police retrieved her. Another girl wrote, “This is terrible….never in a million years did i ever expect anything like this to happen to my hometown.! So far everybody i know that goes there is ok…were still trying to get ahold of one of my cousins. Prayers for all the kids that got hurt and there familys. Prayers for the poor kids that had to witness the shooting.!”
Another woman wrote on Facebook: “This is my high school. I feel devastated. MCHS is a beautiful, rural community that puts all of its focus and love onto the county high school and no matter how far from home I wander, I will always and forever be a Marshall County Marshal. My heart goes out to my western Kentucky family. We stand with you.”