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UPDATE 1/24/18:  What we know now: Marshall County High School shooting

Benton, Kentucky was shaken to its core Tuesday when a 15-year-old sophomore went on a shooting rampage at Marshall County High School, killing two students and injuring more than a dozen. 

Here's what we know now. 

Rising numbers 
While initial reports from Gov. Matt Bevin, witnesses, and Kentucky State Police were spotty, the final numbers of those injured rose overnight.

Twenty students in total were victims, according to the latest update from Kentucky State Police spokesman Jody Cash.

Sixteen of them were hit with gunshots, including two of them who died. Four other people were injured in the chaos of the incident. Of the 20 victims, 14 were males and six were females.

Bailey Nicole Holt, 15, was pronounced dead at the scene by the Marshall County Coroner. Preston Ryan Cope, 15, was pronounced dead at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, according to Cash.

Active shooter training
The accused shooter had not been named by authorities but could be charged as an adult. He's being charged with two counts of murder and "numerous" counts of attempted murder, Kentucky State Police Commissioner Rick Sanders said. 

The school conducts regular active shooter training, and while many praised that training, it's unknown how well it worked. 

"In the area of what-ifs that's hard to tell (if the training worked)," said Kentucky State Police spokesman Jody Cash. 

Vanderbilt gets last-minute patient
In the hours following the shooting, five gunshot victims were flown by medical helicopter to Vanderbilt University Medical Center. One patient, 15-year-old Preston Ryan Cope, died at Vanderbilt from a gunshot wound to the head. 

About 6:30 p.m. Tuesday evening, Vanderbilt Children's Hospital received a last-minute patient from the scene, a girl. She is in stable condition, according to Kristin Smart, a Vanderbilt spokeswoman.

Currently, there are four male patients who are in "critical, but stable, condition" and one female patient.

Suspected gunman
The case against the 15-year-old suspect will begin in juvenile court, which is closed to the public and the records sealed under Kentucky law. Prosecutors will request a judge move it to adult court, at which point the details would no longer be secret.

The teen is being held at a regional juvenile jail in Paducah, Kentucky, about a half-hour away, authorities said, and he has been appointed an attorney.

International sympathy 
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted Tuesday afternoon that he had called Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin to offer condolences on behalf of all Canadians.

"Our hearts go out to Kentuckians, and to all those affected by this tragedy," Trudeau said in the tweet.

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By Thomas Novelly
Courier-Journal

Kentucky Press News Service

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UPDATE:  A shooting at Marshall County High School in Western Kentucky has killed two 15-year-olds and wounded 12 others, according to Kentucky State Police.

A 15-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy were killed and a dozen more were wounded by gunshots, Gov. Matt Bevin announced Tuesday during a press conference on the shooting.

Five others were treated for injuries, but they were not shot, Bevin and police said.

The suspect is a 15-year-old boy who was apprehended at the school by a deputy. The boy will be charged with murder and attempted murder, police said.

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By Mike Stunson

Lexington Herald Leader

Kentucky Press News Service

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ORIGINAL STORY

One of the multiple wounded victims has died in a shooting at Marshall County High School in Western Kentucky Tuesday, according to Kentucky State Police.

Kentucky State police said a Marshall County deputy apprehended the alleged shooter.

The shooting was confirmed by Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, who said there is one fatality and 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.”

At 10:11 a.m., police said the scene is secured. A Marshall County deputy apprehended the shooter, KSP said at 10:26 a.m.

The FBI is working with federal, state and local law enforcement partners following the shooting, it said on Twitter. At 10:30 a.m., it said their agents and personnel were at the high school assisting.

There was a heavy police presence and ambulances on the scene at the high school, located in Benton, according to WPSD.

The school was locked down and no one was allowed inside either entrance, according to the Marshall County Tribune-Courier. Students from the high school were being bused to nearby North Marshall Middle School, where parents were being allowed to pick up their kids, the Tribune-Courier said.

At least two helicopters were used to transport injured people, according to the newspaper.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he is closely tracking the reports of the “tragedy in Benton, #Kentucky and Marshall County High School.”

“My thoughts are with the students, teachers, faculty, and the entire community,” he said on Twitter. “Thank you to the first responders who continue to put themselves in harm’s way to protect others.”

In Frankfort at the General Assembly Tuesday, House Education Chairman John Carney, R- Taylorsville, shared news of the shooting at that committee's morning meeting.

"There has been an active shooter incident this morning at Marshall County High School The details are kind of fluid so I'm not going to get into those too much. I would like to ask everyone to remember the folks there in Marshall County in your prayers.

The committee had just approved House Bill 143, which would require the Kentucky Department of Education to establish a school safety and crisis line where people could report unsafe violent or criminal activities. The bill now goes to the full House.

Rep. Steven Rudy, R- Paducah, began the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee that he chairs with a prayer for the victims.

Identities of the person killed and those injured have not been confirmed. It is not yet clear if they were students.

This story will be updated.

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Date: 01-23-2018

By Mike Stunson

Lexington Herald Leader

Kentucky Press News Service