Two students dead, 17 injured in shooting at Kentucky high school

[webfact]

Two students dead, 17 injured in shooting at Kentucky high school

By Vernell Hackett

 

Two people were killed and multiple others wounded in a shooting at a high school in western Kentucky on Tuesday.

 

BENTON, Ky. (Reuters) - A 15-year-old boy opened fire with a handgun inside his high school in rural western Kentucky on Tuesday, killing two fellow students and wounding a dozen other youths before he was arrested, the state's governor and police said.

 

The shooting began shortly before 8 a.m. CST (1400 GMT) at Marshall County High School in Benton, a small farming town about 130 miles (210 km) northwest of Nashville, Tennessee, according to Kentucky State Police and Governor Matt Bevin.

 

Authorities declined to discuss possible motives for the shooting. There was no immediate indication of how well the suspect knew the victims, but officials said he was believed to have acted alone and faces multiple charges of murder and attempted murder.

 

"There's no good answer for it," Bevin told reporters at a news conference. "There's 1,000 hypotheses we're not going to go into."

 

The bloodshed at the school, where nearly 1,150 students are enrolled, was the latest outbreak of gun violence that has become a regular occurrence at schools and college campuses across the United States over the past several years.

 

Tuesday's rampage occurred just 32 miles (52 km) from Heath High School in West Paducah, Kentucky, where in 1997 a 14-year-old boy opened fire on a group of students, killing three.

 

At Marshall County High, 14 students were hit by gunfire, two of them fatally, officials said. A 15-year-old girl was pronounced dead at the scene, and a 15-year-old boy died at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center's trauma unit in Nashville, Bevin and hospital officials said.

 

Four of the other gunshot patients brought to Vanderbilt were expected to survive, doctors said. Less severely wounded students were taken to other hospital in the area. Another five students suffered non-gunshot injuries, Bevin said, bringing the total number of injured to 17.

 

The 15-year-old suspect walked into the school armed with a handgun and started shooting, Kentucky State Police Commissioner Richard Sanders said at the news conference. Bevin said the youth was apprehended at the school "in a nonviolent" manner, but the governor did not elaborate.

 

Sanders said students followed training they had recently received from state police in how to respond to such incidents.

 

No further details of the circumstances of the shooting were immediately released by authorities. None of the students involved were being publicly identified, Bevin said.

 

Agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Federal Bureau of Investigation joined in the investigation, officials said at the news conference.

 

The school serves Marshall County, which has population of about 31,000.

 

During the news conference at the county Board of Education, Bevin paused to collect himself as his voice choked with emotion, asking members of the news media to exercise restraint in dealing with the families of victims.

 

“I beg of you again - respect the fact that these children belong to this community and to specific families in this community. And this is a wound that is going take a long time to heal. And for some in this community it will never fully heal.”

 

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said President Donald Trump had been briefed on the shooting, adding, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and the families there."

 

(Additional reporting by Colleen Jenkins in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Peter Szekely in New York, Suzannah Gonzales and Chris Kenning in Chicago and Ben Klayman in Detroit; Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-01-24

[alfalfa19]

I'm sure that Trump and his minions send their "thoughts and prayers"  to all of the victims and their families.   Meanwhile, keep those NRA contributions coming, boys!

[Somtamnication]

Well, he is starting his re-election campaign already. The NRA always salivates when these incidents happen. It serves their politics.

[Somebodee]

Edited January 24, 2018 by Somebodee

[lannarebirth]

I wonder if criminalizing the traditional fist fight behind the gym after school is what has led to all this escaltion of violence. As often as not, fist fight participants will end up friends. I'm sure social media plays a part too. And of course all the guns.

[Enoon]

1 hour ago, lannarebirth said:

I wonder if criminalizing the traditional fist fight behind the gym after school is what has led to all this escaltion of violence. As often as not, fist fight participants will end up friends. I'm sure social media plays a part too. And of course all the guns.

 

Then have the fistfight somewhere else?

 

I'm pretty sure that shooting people dead (at school) is criminalised as well.

 

The idea that disapproval of low intensity violence is a recipe for the creation of high intensity violence is somewhat bizzarre.

 

No, guns are easy to get and it's easier to cause serious damage and death with them (to multiple victims) for a dysfunctional, crazed,  "amateur", than it is with a knife.

 

Simple equation - Take the gun away from him and he does a lot less damage.

 

Even better - Don't let him (or anyone remotely like him, irrespective of age) have one in the first place.

 

 

 

 

 

[kamahele]

So common are these shootings now that this story has gotten little coverage compared to how it would have been reported a decade or so ago.

[lannarebirth]

5 minutes ago, Enoon said:

 

Then have the fistfight somewhere else?

 

I'm pretty sure that shooting people dead (at school) is criminalised as well.

 

The idea that disapproval of low intensity violence is a recipe for the creation of high intensity violence is somewhat bizzarre.

 

No, guns are easy to get and it's easier to cause serious damage and death with them (to multiple victims) for a dysfunctional, crazed,  "amateur", than it is with a knife.

 

Simple equation - Take the gun away from him and he does a lot less damage.

 

Even better - Don't let him (or anyone remotely like him, irrespective of age) have one in the first place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was just a thought, but I think there's something to it. I am not condoning violence, low intensity or otherwise.  I was merely pointing out that stressors pass and bruises heal. Fatal bullet wounds so not.

[RuamRudy]

1 hour ago, kamahele said:

So common are these shootings now that this story has gotten little coverage compared to how it would have been reported a decade or so ago.

 

When you say common I was, until this morning, unaware just how common they are.

 

We are 24 days into 2018, and there have been at least 11 school shooting incidents in the US this year.

 

Kentucky School Shooting is 11th of Year. It's Jan 23 

Edited January 24, 2018 by RuamRudy

[Jai Dee]

Several off-topic troll posts as well as replies have been removed from this thread.

[sklmeeera]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

President Donald Trump had been briefed on the shooting, adding, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and the families there."

When is that Fat Flubb Trump going to do or say something useful . What a disgrace he is . How about banning the sale of guns to dangerous people  for  a start . Sounds like it must have been a white kid , if he was coloured the fascist pigs would have killed him for sure .

Edited January 24, 2018 by sklmeeera

[alfalfa19]

Have a look at the top beneficiaries of NRA "contributions" and maybe see why it's so hard to stop these mass shootings:    https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/10/04/opinion/thoughts-prayers-nra-funding-senators.html?mtrref=www.google.com&gwh=27E5F71F47F640A78428E01628D691C3&gwt=pay&assetType=opinion

[thaibeachlovers]

Once again they refuse to give a motive. Perhaps the kid was bullied till he just "isn't going to take it anymore"

I don't know if things have changed since I was at school, but bullying was rife by teachers, prefects and fellow pupils, and nothing is ever done to stop it, but when it goes wrong, everyone just wails and says how terrible it all is, then does nothing about the problem.

[RuamRudy]

3 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Once again they refuse to give a motive. Perhaps the kid was bullied till he just "isn't going to take it anymore"

I don't know if things have changed since I was at school, but bullying was rife by teachers, prefects and fellow pupils, and nothing is ever done to stop it, but when it goes wrong, everyone just wails and says how terrible it all is, then does nothing about the problem.

Just so that I don't misconstrue what you are saying here... are you suggesting that the root problem is to do with bullying rather than the seemingly easy availability of guns?

[metisdead]

An inflammatory post has been removed as well as the reply. 

[dunroaming]

7 hours ago, Enoon said:

 

Then have the fistfight somewhere else?

 

I'm pretty sure that shooting people dead (at school) is criminalised as well.

 

The idea that disapproval of low intensity violence is a recipe for the creation of high intensity violence is somewhat bizzarre.

 

No, guns are easy to get and it's easier to cause serious damage and death with them (to multiple victims) for a dysfunctional, crazed,  "amateur", than it is with a knife.

 

Simple equation - Take the gun away from him and he does a lot less damage.

 

Even better - Don't let him (or anyone remotely like him, irrespective of age) have one in the first place.

 

 

 

 

 

When I was at school boys were encouraged to try to solve their grievances verbally but if not then in the ring. The P.E teacher would referee.  Worked really well and meant we could have sneaky bets on the outcome!  Didn't realise they had criminalised that but not surprised. 

[thaibeachlovers]

3 minutes ago, RuamRudy said:

Just so that I don't misconstrue what you are saying here... are you suggesting that the root problem is to do with bullying rather than the seemingly easy availability of guns?

Till they give a motive in this case, I can't say for sure in this individual case, but it's been a motivating factor in at least 1 previous school shooting case, and it would not surprise me if it was in this case.

However, I am saying that bullying is a factor in cases of shootings in places like schools and post offices.

As for the gun. Obviously he shouldn't have had a gun as too young so it's down to the parents in this case, but even if he hadn't a gun, he is old enough to operate a car and could have killed more than 2 with a vehicle. After all, we are being provided plenty of instances of cars being used as weapons.

Blaming guns, IMO, is just a cop out from having to deal with the real causes. No normal person gets a gun and kills people for no reason.

They provide counselling for students traumatised by shootings; perhaps they should provide counselling for students being bullied. Suicide or murder, could be prevented if the people that can do something got off their butts and actually did prevention, rather than clean up after.

[timendres]

3 hours ago, sklmeeera said:

When is that Fat Flubb Trump going to do or say something useful . What a disgrace he is . How about banning the sale of guns to dangerous people  for  a start . Sounds like it must have been a white kid , if he was coloured the fascist pigs would have killed him for sure .

Sales of guns to dangerous people is banned. There are many laws controlling sales, waiting periods, etc. But there is a large pool of guns, and the concept of complete control of that pool is a fantasy. I believe it would be much more practical to try to identify these students at risk of losing control, and try to help them before they turn violent. Maybe this is just as much of a fantasy as complete control of the guns, but I think it has a better chance of making a difference.

[sklmeeera]

35 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Blaming guns, IMO, is just a cop out from having to deal with the real causes. No normal person gets a gun and kills people for no reason.

That makes zero sense . So why is it that the USA has a hugely higher murder rate than for example the UK  or Australia ??? Because ...in those countries the laws on guns and firearms is strict andin the USA it is a sick joke . Guns were made for killing car were made for travelling . I cant understand why Americans cant get that through their thick skulls .

[Jingthing]

Stop with the B.S. The pro gun people in the U.S. won't allow toughening up on gun restrictions for ANY reason. We learned that after the massacre of young school children in Connecticut. It's hopeless, and it's SICK. 

Yes, what the Australians did was the obvious and only answer. In the U.S. with it's SICK gun culture and lame excuses about a constitutional amendment that sorely needs updating, that's just never going to happen. Even signification incremental improvements aren't going to happen. Just keeping it real. 

Edited January 24, 2018 by Jingthing

[UncleTouchyFingers]

1 minute ago, sklmeeera said:

That makes zero sense . So why is it that the USA has a hugely higher murder rate than for example the UK  or Australia ??? Because ...in those countries the laws on guns and firearms is strict andin the USA it is a sick joke . Guns were made for killing car were made for travelling . I cant understand why Americans cant get that through their thick skulls .

 

Because of the basis that ALL americans have the right to defend themselves. That right is enshrined in the 2nd Amendment. 

 

Nobody denies that less guns = less murder from guns. But gun owners are not going to give up that right because of what someone else does. 

 

2 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

The pro gun people in the U.S. won't allow toughening up on gun restrictions for ANY reason. We learned that after the massacre of young school children in Connecticut. It's hopeless, and it's SICK. 

 

Yet you choose to live in a country with way more strict gun control laws and way more gun deaths per capita than the US.  

[RuamRudy]

1 minute ago, sklmeeera said:

That makes zero sense . So why is it that the USA has a hugely higher murder rate than for example the UK  or Australia ??? Because ...in those countries the laws on guns and firearms is strict andin the USA it is a sick joke . Guns were made for killing car were made for travelling . I cant understand why Americans cant get that through their thick skulls .

I think timendres has a point when he wrote:

7 minutes ago, timendres said:

there is a large pool of guns, and the concept of complete control of that pool is a fantasy.

I imagine that whoever drafted whichever amendment that provides the right to own guns would never have done so had they been able to envisage the carnage that their actions would lead to. But there are now 270 million guns in the US , so while banning them seems like a logical start, this won't prevent future attrocities. Something else is needed in conjunction.

[Jingthing]

Just now, UncleTouchyFingers said:

 

Because of the basis that ALL americans have the right to defend themselves. That right is enshrined in the 2nd Amendment. 

 

Nobody denies that less guns = less murder from guns. But gun owners are not going to give up that right because of what someone else does. 

 

 

Yet you choose to live in a country with way more strict gun control laws and way more gun deaths per capita than the US.  

The second amendment was about militias. It was about a culture of mostly rural farmers. It's being exploited by the gun industry and lobby in totally dishonest ways. It's an amendment. It needs to be amended OUT because of how it's been twisted.

 

My choice to live in Thailand has nothing to do with gun laws. DESIST from your offensive baiting on personal matters. That is NOT OK. 

[UncleTouchyFingers]

1 minute ago, RuamRudy said:

I imagine that whoever drafted whichever amendment that provides the right to own guns would never have done so had they been able to envisage the carnage that their actions would lead to. But there are now 270 million guns in the US , so while banning them seems like a logical start, this won't prevent future attrocities. Something else is needed in conjunction.

 

Because the founding fathers knew, from both history and the British, that the first thing a tyrannical government does is take away the populaces ability to defend themselves. That history is still being proven to be true today. 

 

And there are likely alot more guns that 270 million as there isnt a register. Its all guesswork. 

 

3 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

The second amendment was about militias. It was about a culture of mostly rural farmers. It's being exploited by the gun industry and lobby in totally dishonest ways. It's an amendment. It needs to be amended OUT because of how it's been twisted.

 

My choice to live in Thailand has nothing to do with gun laws. DESIST from your offensive baiting on personal matters. That is NOT OK. 

 

No it wasn't, and thats been forever cemented into Supreme Court Ruling as well. Whatever media spin you wanna read about it is on you, but the fact remains that Antonin Scailia debunked that hard and forever. At least as long as we are both alive or unless they repeal the Amendment itself. Which will never happen. Because of the required supermajority. 

 

And calm down im just pointing out the hypocrisy. Freak out about US gun laws but decided to live in a country thats WAY more dangerous both in regards to gun deaths and most everything else. 

[Jingthing]

Just now, UncleTouchyFingers said:

 

... 

 

And calm down im just pointing out the hypocrisy. Freak out about US gun laws but decided to live in a country thats WAY more dangerous both in regards to gun deaths and most everything else. 

Where I live is not the topic here. DESIST with your personal baiting.

[UncleTouchyFingers]

1 minute ago, Jingthing said:

Where I live is not the topic here. DESIST with your personal baiting.

 

Kinda feeling like you're getting unreasonably upset here. 

 

Anyway like I said, the "militia" argument has been debunked by the highest court of the US. So have most other arguments for 2nd amendment hatred, thanks to Antonin Scailia. 

 

End of the day, the placement of the Amendment in the list, and the context in which it was written, means what it means. Time wont change it, unless you repeal the amendment. 

 

And we got Neil Gorsuch now so thats a bonus too. 

[RuamRudy]

11 minutes ago, UncleTouchyFingers said:

Because the founding fathers knew, from both history and the British, that the first thing a tyrannical government does is take away the populaces ability to defend themselves. That history is still being proven to be true today. 

So the ready availability of guns has done nothing to prevent the decline of western civilisation, but merely added more misery to the daily grind for millions.

[UncleTouchyFingers]

7 minutes ago, RuamRudy said:

So the ready availability of guns has done nothing to prevent the decline of western civilisation, but merely added more misery to the daily grind for millions.

 

Well, you can certainly play Mr. Confucius and stay neutral if you want. Up to you. But people have been stealing, killing, murdering, raping, etc. for all of the time that humans have been humans.

 

Western Civilization is merely a blip on the radar, so I think with that bit of history, myself and a whole bunch of Americans will continue to keep firearms. It would be really stupid not to. 

[RuamRudy]

3 minutes ago, UncleTouchyFingers said:

 

Well, you can certainly play Mr. Confucius and stay neutral if you want. Up to you. But people have been stealing, killing, murdering, raping, etc. for all of the time that humans have been humans.

 

Western Civilization is merely a blip on the radar, so I think with that bit of history, myself and a whole bunch of Americans will continue to keep firearms. It would be really stupid not to. 

I am not staying neutral at all - I have been open in my utter bewilderment that successive US administrations have allowed the NRA to have such a stranglehold on their representatives. I am merely pointing our the fallacy in your suggesting that the people who wrote the amendment were saving you from something much worse - democracy is debauched world wide, regardless of the availability of guns in any given country.

[UncleTouchyFingers]

11 minutes ago, RuamRudy said:

I am not staying neutral at all - I have been open in my utter bewilderment that successive US administrations have allowed the NRA to have such a stranglehold on their representatives. I am merely pointing our the fallacy in your suggesting that the people who wrote the amendment were saving you from something much worse - democracy is debauched world wide, regardless of the availability of guns in any given country.

 

Yeah except it isn't the "NRA's Fault" that laws are laws. Rights are rights. They dont form policy. They dont "pay" politicians to legislate a certain way anymore than any other group "pays" a legislator when they donate. 

 

If the representatives believed their constituents (by a strong majority) did not want the 2nd or (insert arbitrary new law or rule) then they wouldn't legislate that way. Why? Because they wouldn't have a job. Facts are facts. It wouldn't happen. Truth is there is a huge swath of the population that fully stands by the 2nd. And there is a huge swath of the population that knows that when people break the law, its on the person that broke the law.