A mass shooting took place at a 21st birthday party in Florence, Kentucky,” according to the police. The incident resulted in the deaths of four persons and injuries to three more.
A residence in Florence was the location of the shooting that took place in the early morning hours of Saturday, July 6, according to CNN, CBS News, and USA Today, all of which reference the police statement.
According to USA Today, Florence Police Chief Jeff Mallery stated that around 2:50 in the morning, officers were dispatched to a residence. Mallery made this statement during a press conference.
When the officers arrived, they continued to hear bullets being fired, and they approached the apartment, according to Mallery. Once they entered the property, partygoers informed them that the suspect had gone and provided a description of the vehicle. When they arrived at the residence, they found many victims, and once they entered the residence, they observed more victims.
After that, police enforcement was able to locate the vehicle; however, the suspect escaped when officers attempted to stop the vehicle to question him. Following a pursuit, Mallery stated that the police believe the suspect, who has been named as Chase Garvey, an individual who is 21 years old, shot himself, which resulted in his vehicle crashing. Following his arrival at the hospital, Garvey succumbed to his injuries and passed away.
About the three injured victims, Mallery stated that they “are all stable and will make a full recovery.”
The names of the victims who passed away are as follows: Shane Miller, age 20, from Florence; Hayden Rybicki, age 20, from Elsmere; Delaney Eary, age 19, from Burlington; and Melissa Parrett, age 44, originally from Florence.
She was the owner of the house, and she was the one who was throwing the birthday celebration for her son, who was turning 21.
However, Mallery believes that the gunman was not invited to the gathering, even though he “was known to the partygoers.”
Following Mallery’s assertions, Garvey was a convicted felon.
According to the PEOPLE, Garvey, who was 18 years old at the time, was accused of raping a girl who was 13 years old in the year 2021. It was in April of 2023 when he entered a guilty plea to the charge of unlawful transaction with a minor in the second degree. He was sentenced to five years of probation.
The fact that this is the first time that Florence has had a mass shooting makes the situation extremely emotive, according to Mallery. My heart goes out to the people who have been affected by this event, including the victims, their families, the officers who reacted to the scene, and everyone else.