Tragedy struck a birthday celebration in northern Kentucky early Saturday morning when a mass shooting claimed the lives of four individuals and left three others injured. The incident took place at a home on Ridgecrest Drive in Florence, southwest of Cincinnati, Ohio, where a 21st birthday party was being held.
Police responded to reports of an active shooter at the residence and discovered seven victims with gunshot wounds. The deceased victims were identified as Shane Miller, 20; Hayden Rybicki, 20; Delaney Eary, 19; and Melissa Parrett, 44, who was hosting her son's birthday party at the time of the shooting.
The suspect, Chase Garvey, 21, who was not invited to the party but known to the attendees, fled the scene initially and was later found in a crashed vehicle with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Garvey was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Three injured individuals were transported to a Cincinnati hospital and are currently in critical but stable condition. Authorities have confirmed that Garvey acted alone, and the motive behind the shooting remains unclear.
Florence Police Department Chief Jeff Mallery expressed the emotional impact of the incident, stating that it was the first mass shooting in Florence. He assured the public that there is no ongoing threat and that the investigation is ongoing.
This tragic event marks the 277th mass shooting in the United States in 2024, as reported by the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as an incident where four or more individuals are shot, excluding the shooter.
