4 dead, 3 injured in mass shooting at birthday party in Florence, Kentucky

Four people were shot dead and three were injured in a mass shooting in Kentucky on Saturday, the Florence Police Department said.

Officers responded to a private residence at 2:51 a.m. local time and as they approached the home, they still heard “gunshots,” Police Chief Jeff Mallery said at a news conference. There were two victims in front of the residence, he said.

Officers found several injured people inside the home and provided first aid to everyone they could, the police chief said. Partygoers told officers that “the suspect had fled” and gave them a description of the vehicle.

Other officers arriving in the neighborhood saw a vehicle matching the description, Mallery said. A Florence police officer and a sheriff’s deputy tried to catch the suspect, the chief said, but he fled.

Police said a chase ensued that only ended when the suspect’s car drove into a ditch off the road. Mallery said the suspect is believed to have shot himself while driving and crashed his vehicle. The suspect was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was taken to St. Elizabeth Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

Three of the victims were taken to UC Health Hospital. They are currently in critical but stable condition, authorities said. They appear to be making a full recovery, the chief said.

Partygoers knew the suspect and identified him to police. Mallery said he had been convicted of a previous sex crime, but that he did not appear to be connected to the shooting.

“He just showed up,” Mallery said, adding that everyone was attending a pool party for the homeowner’s son’s 21st birthday. “Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims’ families.”

The police chief identified the victims during a news conference. The victims are Shane Miller, 20, of Florence, Hayden Rybicki, 20, of Elsmere, Delaney Eary, 19, of Burlington, and Melissa Parrett, 44, of Florence.

The suspect has been identified as Chase Garvey, 21, of Florence, police said.

“We’ve never dealt with anything like this before. We know this is happening all over the country, but this is the first time we’ve had a mass shooting in Florence,” the chief said, visibly emotional at the news conference.

The Florence Church of God, a local church, posted on social media that one of the sisters in their congregation asked for prayers for her friend whose daughter was killed in the shooting.

“A man showed up uninvited to a pool party at a birthday party and killed four people,” Pastor Campbell of the church wrote.

One of them was the daughter of a friend, the pastor wrote, and “her granddaughter is in the hospital with gunshot wounds.”

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