By Mark Maynard
Kentucky Today
Four people were killed and three others injured in a mass shooting in Northern Kentucky where the suspected shooter led police on chase before turning the gun on himself.
Police responded to a call just before 3 a.m. on Saturday morning for an active shooting situation at a home in Florence.
When they arrived, law enforcement found seven adults suffering from gunshot wounds.
Four of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene, according to reports. One of the victims was hosting a birthday party for her son at their Ridgecrest Drive home.
The three wounded victims were taken for treatment and are in critical but stable condition at a local hospital.
During a press conference, Police Chief Jeff Mallery said Chase Garvey, 21, of Florence, was the suspect believed to have been the shooter during a 21st birthday party at a private residence.
The four who were killed were identified as: Melissa Parrett, 44, of Florence; Shane Miller, 20, of Florence; Hayden Rybicki, 20, of Elsmere; and Delaney Eary, 19, of Burlington.
Police said Garvey fled the scene of the shooting by car, leading officers on a chase that ended when the suspect drove his vehicle into a ditch on Dale Heimbrock Way near Hicks Pike. When officers approached the vehicle, they found the suspect suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, police said.
Garvey was taken to St. Elizabeth Hospital-Florence where he was pronounced dead.
Florence police said he acted alone and that there is no further threat to the public.
“We never dealt with this before,” Mallery said. “We know it’s going on throughout the nation, but this is the first time we’ve had a mass shooting in Florence.”
The chief said officers had shown up earlier in the night to the house for a loud noise complaint that was unrelated to the shooting.
Chief Mallery expressed the community’s sympathy to the victims of the shooting. He praised the actions of his police officers.
The Florence Police Department’s investigators have asked that anyone with information contact the department on 859-371-1234.
NKyTribune staff contributed to this story.