Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin is known for his Christian faith, and in a Facebook and Twitter post on Tuesday night, he offered a hopeful response to the tragic school shooting in his state that left two students dead and nearly 20 injured.
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“The souls of Marshall County have been bruised and the fabric of the community has been torn, but the people of Benton, KY and the surrounding communities are strong,” Bevin wrote. “With faith in God and with reliance on friends and family, we will get through this dark day together.”
The governor concluded his message with the hashtag #WeAreKY.
The souls of Marshall County have been bruised and the fabric of the community has been torn, but the people of Benton,…
Posted by Matt Bevin on Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Bevin’s comments came just hours after a deadly shooting at Marshall County High School in Benton, Kentucky, allegedly at the hands of a 15-year-old suspect who shot nearly 20 people.
As Faithwire previously reported, Bevin joined authorities on Tuesday for a press conference, issuing emotional remarks and noting that the community’s reaction to the shooting provides an opportunity to show a good example of how to handle these unimaginable scenarios. Bevin encouraged people to embrace love, respect and “sticking to the facts.”
“I’m just asking you — please have respect for these families and for this community,” he implored reporters, as authorities told the press that 14 people were shot and that two students — one male and one female — died.
As of Tuesday evening, there were 18 total injuries in addition to the deaths of two students, Bailey Nicole Holt and Preston Ryan Cope, who were both 15 years old. The suspect, who is also 15, will be charged with both murder and attempted murder, though it is unclear if he will be treated in the court of law as a juvenile or an adult.
Marshall County Attorney Jeff Edwards wants the unnamed suspect to be tried as an adult. If this indeed happens, his identity will be revealed once that process unfolds, CNN reported.
Two students killed and 19 injured in Kentucky high school shooting before male suspect, 15, is arrested https://t.co/a3agB7ZoDD pic.twitter.com/uEHjRGIE50
— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) January 23, 2018
Witnesses have begun to start telling their harrowing stories surrounding what unfolded. Lexie Waymon, 16, explained in detail what she experienced in the seconds after shots rang out.
“I blacked out. I couldn’t move. I got up and I tried to run, but I fell. I heard someone hit the ground. It was so close to me,” she said, according to Fox News. “I just heard it and then I just, everything was black for a good minute. Like, I could not see anything. I just froze and did not know what to do. Then I got up and I ran.”
Father Barry Mann said that his 14-year-old son called him to report what was happening and that it “sounded like his heart was in his throat.”
And Marshall County High School junior Taylor Droke said that she was running late to school on Tuesday and that she and a friend pulled up just as the shooting began. It was in those moments that she saw her peers fleeing the school.
PHOTO: Bailey Holt Identified as Victim Killed In Kentucky School Shooting
Update: https://t.co/Htl1Yt5qE4 pic.twitter.com/aL9HyJxWq3
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) January 24, 2018
“Then one of the guards in the lot yelled ‘there’s a shooter’ to everyone,” she told WZTV-TV. “You could see students dropping their bags and just start running, pushing past each other. Everyone in cars started turning around and driving away. Kids were jumping the fence around the school and running through the woods.”
Let’s all pray for the survivors as well as the families of those who were lost in this senseless tragedy.