Updated 11pm
TWO STUDENTS HAVE been confirmed dead and 17 others are injured following a shooting at a high school in Kentucky.
The shooting took place shortly before 8am local time at Marshall County High School in Benton, western Kentucky. The shooter, who was armed with a handgun, walked into the school and opened fire.
The victims, one male and one female, were both 15-years-old. The girl died at the scene while the boy died in hospital.
The suspect, who is also 15, is currently in police custody and he will be charged with murder and attempted murder, Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin said in a press conference.
Marshall County Attorney Jeff Edwards said it’s likely the suspect will be charged as an adult. His name has yet to be released.
Nearly 20 people were hospitalised in the aftermath of the incident. Darlene Lynn of Marshall County Emergency Management said some of them were taken away from the scene by helicopter, CNN reports.
The town of Benton has a population of approximately 4,300 people. “‘This is a tremendous tragedy and speaks to the heartbreak present in our communities,” Governor Bevin said in a statement.
It is unbelievable that this would happen in a small, close-knit community like Marshall County.
The incident is the second high school shooting in the US in 24 hours. Yesterday a 15-year-old girl was wounded at Italy high school in Texas after a 16-year-old suspect opened fire in the school’s cafeteria.
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