Concerned parents of students at a Kentucky high school described the harrowing moments when they got in touch with their loved ones on Tuesday after a gunman shot dead two and wounded 14 in a shooting rampage.
Ethan Hufford, 15, a freshman at Marshall County High School, ran into the gym when the shooting started in the common area just before class.
According to his mother, Misty Hufford, Ethan ran into the gym which was next to the commons and out of the building through a side door.
She told WSMV-TV that as he was running away from the building, he called her to come pick him up.
‘I know when he called me, he said, “Mom there’s been a shooting”.
Police were seen leading a teen, believed to be the 15-year-old shooter, away in handcuffs after he opened fire on classmates at Marshall County High School in Kentucky on Tuesday morning
Bailey Holt (left), 15, was one of two students who suffered fatal gunshot wounds in Tuesday’s shooting rampage at a Kentucky high school. Preston Cope (right), 15, was rushed to hospital but died of a gunshot wound to the head
‘And I asked him if he was OK, and he said, “I’m running”.’
Morgan Green was in the commons area when the gunfire erupted, according to her mother, Misty Green.
‘My daughter was sitting there in the commons area and hear the “pop, pop, pop” and initially got down, and then just realized what was going on, so they took out running out of the building as fast as they could,’ said Misty Green.
‘Initially she didn’t know what it was, but then she realized it was a gun and all of the other students realized what it was, and they all just got out of the building as quickly as they could.
‘And teachers were grabbing kids up and helping them get into safe places. And helping them get outside and get to a safe location.’
Misty Hufford picked up her son and drove him and several other boys to a nearby McDonald’s for safety.
When she got to the McDonald’s, she noticed a group of several other students who were waiting for their parents.
‘Your heart drops as a parent. It’s a nightmare,’ said Misty Hufford.
‘It’s a call no parent ever wants to get for sure. You send your kid to school expecting them to learn and grow and prosper as a child, not to be put in this situation.’
Misty Hufford said her son was having difficulty coming to terms with the tragedy.
‘I have been talking to him all morning and he says he’s OK, he’s just really upset. He can’t wrap his head around why anyone would do this,’ said Misty Hufford.
Parishioners light candles during a prayer vigil for students killed and injured at Life in Christ Church in Marion, Kentucky on Tuesday
Students are seen above attending the prayer vigil at Life in Christ Church in Marion
An unidentified 15-year-old male student methodically opened fire on his classmates in a crowded atrium at Marshall High School
Students console each other during the prayer vigil on Tuesday
Parents described the moments they learned of the shooting in Kentucky on Tuesday
Stewart Walker is seen above attending the prayer vigil at Life in Christ Church
Patrick Adamson (right), youth director and praise leader at Briensburg Baptist Church, comforts two people prior to a prayer vigil at Briensburg Baptist Church near Benton
A man lays his hand on the shoulder of a loved one as a girl lays her head on the opposite side while attending a prayer vigil at Briensburg Baptist Church
‘Talk to your kids. Make sure everything is OK at school and make sure they’re not being bullied because I can’t even imagine what was going through this child’s mind when they opened fire. Something had to have been wrong.’
The two fatalities have been identified as Bailey Holt and Preston Cope, both 15 years of age, according to CNN.
Holt was pronounced dead at the scene. Cope later died after being admitted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee with a gunshot wound to his head.
An unidentified 15-year-old male student methodically opened fire on his classmates in a crowded atrium at Marshall High School.
The shooting erupted at the high school in Benton on Tuesday just before 8am when the teenager walked in armed with a handgun.
Police were seen leading a teenager away in handcuffs after he was apprehended by a Marshall County Sheriff’s Deputy roughly 15 minutes after the shooting broke out.
He has not been named and police have not released a motive.
The student, who is believed to be in the school band, will be charged with murder and attempted murder.
Sixteen people were taken to hospital, some via helicopter, suffering gunshot wounds.
The others were injured trying to get away, but were not shot.
All of the victims are believed to be students.
Shocked students have described the terrifying moment the shooter opened fire before classes began, forcing nearly 100 children to run out of the school and seek safety.
‘He was determined. He knew what he was doing,’ a classmate said of the shooter.
Police investigators above responded to the scene of the shooting at the high school
The school was placed in lock down and the entrances to the school were blocked off by first responders
‘It was one right after another – bang bang bang bang bang. You could see his arm jerking as he was pulling the trigger.’
Another student said: ‘No one screamed. It was almost completely silent as people just ran.
‘He just ran out of ammo and couldn’t do anything else. He took off running and tried to get away from the officers.’
The school was placed in lock down and the entrances to the school were blocked off by first responders.
A half-dozen ambulances and numerous police cars converged on the school. Officers in black fatigues carrying assault rifles showed up as well.
Cars lined up on both sides of an adjacent road as parents desperately tried to find their children.
Many students fled the school in cars, while others ran down ran down the highway for more than a mile.
The mother of one of the students evacuated from the school described the chilling moment she helped the shooter’s mom after she learned her son was responsible.
Heather Adams told WKMS that her son had already texted her to say he was safe so she was trying to help other parents locate their children.
Terrified students were later reunited with their parents following the deadly shooting
Kentuckty State Police Lt. Michael Webb speaks during a media briefing at the Marshall County Board of Education following the shooting
There was a heavy police presence at the school and multiple ambulances and emergency helicopters were on scene to treat the injured
‘I noticed a lady that was distraught and couldn’t find her child. I was texting with my son asking ‘Do you know where this child is? Is this child safe?’,’ Adams said.
‘I stayed with her while we waited. That was the shooter’s mother.
‘I held her hair while she threw up… She needed an ambulance. She was going into shock. And I couldn’t get an ambulance there. I got yelled at by the police for calling for an ambulance… We got a firefighter’s coat to put on her.’
Mitchell Garland, who rushed outside of his business when he heard about the shooting, described seeing the students flee the school.
‘They was running and crying and screaming,’ he said. ‘They was just kids running down the highway. They were trying to get out of there.’
Garland said he made sure the students were safe. He said his own son, a 16-year-old sophomore, jumped into someone’s car and sped away before making his way to his dad’s office.
‘Everyone is just scared. Just terrified for their kids,’ Garland said. ‘We’re a small town and we know a lot of the kids.’
Savana Smothers, the school’s assistant girls’ soccer coach, scrambled to account for all of her players. All the girls were safe, she told The Associated Press in a Facebook message.
She also said she was trying to get a head count for all the students who attend her church.
‘You just never think this will happen in a small town like ours,’ she said.
The school was placed in lock down and the entrances to the school were blocked off by first responders
The school was placed in lock down and the entrances to the school were blocked off by first responders
Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin confirmed that the suspect in the fatal shooting had been taken into custody
Federal authorities joined state and local law enforcement in responding to the shooting. Gov. Matt Bevin ran out a side door at the Capitol in Frankfort, saying he was headed to the school as well.
Dusty Kornbacher, who owns a nearby floral shop, said the scene outside the school was chaotic with parents and students rushing around trying to find each other.
‘All the parking lots were full with parents and kids hugging each other and crying and nobody really knowing what was going on,’ he said.
Governor Matt Bevin issued a statement describing the shooting as a ‘tremendous tragedy’.
‘It is unbelievable that this would happen in a small, close-knit community like Marshall County,’ he said.
‘As there is still much unknown, I encourage people to love on each other at this time. Do not speculate, but come alongside each in support and allow the facts to come out.’
US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tweeted: ‘Closely tracking reports of the tragedy in Benton, #Kentucky at Marshall County High School and my thoughts are with the students, teachers, faculty, and the entire community. Thank you to the first responders who continue to put themselves in harm’s way to protect others.
‘This regrettable shutdown reminded all of us that, in United States #Senate, brinksmanship and hostage-taking simply do not work.’
The school has an enrollment of 1,146 students in grades 10 through 12. Marshall County has a population of about 31,000 people.
Parents were being turned away from the school as students and staff remained locked in classrooms on Tuesday morning
High school students were being bused to North Marshall Middle School so they could be safely picked up by their parents
The shooting broke out at Marshall County High School in Caldwell on Tuesday at about 8am