Two people were killed and 17 others were injured in a shooting at Marshall County High School in southwestern Kentucky Tuesday morning, Gov. Matt Bevin said Tuesday afternoon. The suspect is a 15-year-old student, who will be charged with murder, according to the governor.
Bevin tweeted that there was one confirmed fatality just before 10:00 a.m. Tuesday and confirmed the second around 1:30 p.m. Earlier reports said 19 people were injured, but the as of 3:30 p.m., the official number is 17, 12 of whom had gunshot wounds.
The first victim was a 15-year-old female who died at the scene. The second victim was a 15-year-old male who died at the hospital, according to the governor.
In a phone interview with CBS News following the incident, Kentucky State Police Detective Jody Cash confirmed that the situation was “secure and no longer active.” A Marshall County deputy apprehended the shooter, police said, and the FBI was called to the scene.
Tragic shooting at Marshall County HS…Shooter is in custody, one confirmed fatality, multiple others wounded…Much yet unknown…Please do not speculate or spread hearsay…Let’s let the first responders do their job and be grateful that they are there to do it for us…
— Governor Matt Bevin (@GovMattBevin) January 23, 2018
In his first tweet after the news broke Tuesday, Bevin, a Republican, called for people not to “speculate or spread hearsay” and that they should “let the first responders do their job and be grateful that they are there to do it for us.”
Bevin took a similar stance following the Las Vegas shooting last October, in which 58 people died and 851 were injured, calling for people not to “[seize] on the tragedy… to call for more gun regs.”
In a second statement Tuesday morning around 11:00 a.m., Bevins said Tuesday’s tragedy “speaks to the heartbreak present in our communities.” He also encouraged people to “love on each other at this time.”
A statement from Gov. Bevin regarding this morning's events in Marshall County: pic.twitter.com/0n0cxgJkvi
— Governor Matt Bevin (@GovMattBevin) January 23, 2018
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) also tweeted a response to the shooting on Tuesday morning, thanking the first responders.
Closely tracking reports of the tragedy in Benton, #Kentucky at Marshall County High School and my thoughts are with the students, teachers, faculty, and the entire community. Thank you to the first responders who continue to put themselves in harm's way to protect others.
— Leader McConnell (@SenateMajLdr) January 23, 2018
The shooting in Kentucky comes just one day after another school shooting in Texas. According to NBC, on Monday morning, a 16-year-old suspect with a semi-automatic handgun opened fire in a high school cafeteria in Italy, Texas, wounding one teenage girl. Both the suspect and the victim were students, according to officials.
There have already been 13 mass shootings — an incident in which four or more people are shot or killed, not including the shooter — in 2018, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
This story has been updated with additional information.