Kentucky grieves for victims
BENTON, Ky.—A tight-knit rural community reflected Wednesday on the hometown horror of a school shooting that killed two teenagers, injured 18 and sent hundreds of others fleeing for their lives from a place many considered immune from violence.
Police have not publicly identified the 15-year-old accused of opening fire Tuesday at Marshall County High School. Officers said he walked into the “commons” area where many students gather before classes begin and immediately began shooting. Witnesses said he fired a single shot, paused, and then emptied the handgun of ammunition before he tried to escape and was arrested. On Wednesday, authorities said he faces preliminary charges of murder and assault while police investigate what might have prompted the attack.
Throughout a community where practically everyone knows each other—Benton, the nearest town, has about 4,300 people—people were initially shocked, saying “We can’t believe this is happening to us,” Patrick Adamson, a church youth director, said Wednesday.
Dominico Caporali, whose 16-year-old daughter watched her classmate repeatedly pull the trigger, expressed a similar conviction.
“This community doesn’t have violence that most communities do. All these kids know each other, they hang out with each other,” he told The Associated Press.
His daughter Alexandria seconded that, saying “most people are nice to each other here … It’s not a bad place. Not a lot of bullying goes on.”
Now, as disbelief gives way to grief, Adamson said people are already asking “What are we going to do about it? How are we going to come together?”
Many are leaning on their faith to cope, he said. His Baptist church was gathering Wednesday to share prayers and help teens talk about the shootings. In nearby counties, students gathered in prayer circles before classes Wednesday.
President Donald Trump sent his “thoughts and prayers” in a tweet and shared his condolences with Gov. Matt Bevin on Wednesday in a phone call.