Kentucky Mass Shooting: What We Know

At least five people, including the suspect, are dead and three others are hospitalized following a mass shooting in northern Kentucky on early Saturday morning, according to the Florence Police Department.

At a press conference this afternoon, the police identified the four deceased victims as: Shane Miller, 20, Hayden Rybicki, 20, Delaney Eary,19, Melissa Parrett, 44.

The suspected shooter, meanwhile, has been identified as 21-year-old Chase Garvey from Florence.

According to the police department's press release that was sent to Newsweek on Saturday afternoon, at 2:51 a.m. on Saturday morning "Florence Police Officers were dispatched to a private residence on Ridgecrest Drive after receiving multiple calls of an active shooter inside the residence."

In a press conference this afternoon, Florence Police Chief Jeff Mallery said that "when officers arrived they still heard shots being fired." When they entered the residence "partygoers told them that the suspect had fled and gave a vehicle description." The individuals were at Parrett's house for her 21-year-old son's birthday party.

Upon arrival, seven individuals were observed suffering from gunshot wounds, with four pronounced dead at the scene. Three victims were transported to University of Cincinnati Medical Center across the Ohio River. They are currently in critical, but stable condition, according to police.

Pastor Roger Campbell of Florence Church of God posted a prayer request for a community member on Facebook on Saturday morning. In the post, he stated that the suspect "came in uninvited on a Birthday Pool Party and killed four people." The church identified the host of the party as a woman named Caroline. Her daughter was killed and her granddaughter is hospitalized with gunshot wounds, according to Campbell's post.

Newsweek reached out via email and phone to the Florence Church of God requesting additional information on Saturday morning.

Mallery said at the press conference that Garvey is "known to the partygoers" and they "identified him as Chase Garvey." Mallery later said he didn't "believe he was invited to the party." As of Saturday afternoon, no motive for the shooting is known.

The suspect fled the scene in a car, according to department's press release. Police said they engaged in a pursuit, which ended after the suspect's vehicle veered off the road into a ditch.

During the press conference, Mallory said "it is believed that the suspect, the shooter, had shot himself with the gun that he had and then crashed his vehicle." He was transported to St. Elizabeth Florence Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The police believe the suspect acted alone and there is no ongoing threat to the community. This is the first mass shooting in Florence.

Saturday's deadly shooting comes just days after another mass shooting unfolded near the University of Cincinnati's campus early Monday morning around 2:50 a.m. Three men died and two were in stable condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. The shooting took place in Corryville. Florence is about 15 miles south of Corryville.

While there is no singular consensus on what constitutes a "mass shooting," the nonprofit organization Gun Violence Archive (GVA), which tracks nationwide incidents, defines it as "a minimum of four victims shot, either injured or killed, not including any shooter who may also have been killed or injured in the incident."

So far this year, there have been 277 mass shootings in the United States, according to GVA. The group's latest data shows over 8,700 people have died from gun violence incidents across the country this year.

Updated 7/6/24 at 1:17 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information from the police department's press release.

Updated 7/6/24 at 2:13 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information from the police department's press conference.

Updated 7/6/24 at 2:26 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to include the deceased victim's names and an updated photo.