Student open fires in Kentucky high school

The past few years have been flooded with tragic public school shootings and as Marshall County High School in western Kentucky now knows too well, 2018 will not be the year to break the trend. Students Bailey Holt and Preston Cope, both 15-years-old, were murdered in the event. According to CNN, Holt died in the high school and Cope died while being transferred to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN.

The shooter’s identity has not yet been released but witnesses say he is a 15-year-old male and fellow student at Marshall County High School. His motive has yet to be uncovered. According to Marshall County Assistant Attorney Jason Darnall, the shooter has been charged with two counts of murder and 12 counts of first degree assault.

Kentucky State Police Commissioner Richard W. Sanders said the suspect walked into the building at approximately 8:57 a.m. and immediately started shooting. CNN reports the first 911 came just two minutes later.

The tight knit community is devastated as families deal with loss and students learn to reiterate themselves to a school that may never be the same. Holt’s parents have made several statements to the press in which her mother, Secret Holt, described her as a sweet child who loved to help others. In an interview with WKRN,an ABC-affiliated newsgroup out of Nashville,  Holt said that going into the courtroom to see the shooter may seem impossible for her, but she wants him to pay for what he has down. She continued by saying, “I also want to pray for him, too, because I know he’s probably having a hard time too, but he took our baby. He still took my baby from me.” As the motive behind the shooter’s violence is revealed, the devastated families and friends will try to bring justice to the tragedy.