Chase Garvey murdered 4 people and injured three others when he opened up fire during a 21st birthday party in Florence, Kentucky, police say. He later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. (Mug shot: Florence police; Screengrab: WXIX/YouTube)
What was supposed to be a 21st birthday celebration turned tragic when an uninvited guest opened fire, killing four people and injuring three others, police in Kentucky say.
Several partygoers called Florence police shortly before 3 a.m. Saturday regarding an active shooter inside a home on Ridgecrest Drive.
“When they arrived they still heard shots being fired,” Chief Jeff Mallery told reporters during a press conference.
Officers found two victims out on the front lawn and five more in the home, according to Mallory. Paramedics pronounced four of the victims dead on scene while they rushed three others to a nearby Cincinnati hospital. People on scene identified the shooter as 21-year-old Chase Garvey and gave officers a description of his vehicle. A responding officer spotted the car and gave chase after Garvey fled from a traffic stop, Mallery said. The pursuit ended when at Dale Heimbrock Way near Hicks Pike when Garvey left the road and crashed into a ditch. Cops found Garvey suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. First responders transported him to a hospital where doctors pronounced him dead.
Mallery said the three surviving victims are expected to make a full recovery. He identified the deceased victims as Shane Miller and Hayden Rybicki, both 20, along with Delaney Eary, 19, and Melissa Parrett, 44. The party was for Parrett’s son, Mallory said. A motive for the shooting is unclear, although Mallory said Garvey had not been invited to the party.
Mallory was emotional throughout the press conference and said his heart goes out to the families of the victims and his officers who responded to the scene.
“We’ve never dealt with this before,” he said. “I know it’s going around the nation but this is the first time that we’ve had a mass shooting in Florence.”
Neighbors, including some who were at the party earlier in the night, were left stunned.
“We were sitting on the driveway chatting, making memories, then I decided to go home around 12:30. I live right there,” Leah Moore told Cincinnati Fox affiliate WXIX. “If I would’ve probably stayed a little longer, I probably would’ve been involved in this tragedy.”
WXIX reported that Garvey was arrested for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl on 2021. He allegedly drove to the girl’s home after meeting her on SnapChat. The victim reportedly told authorities that she didn’t want to do anything sexual but Garvey held her down and forced her to have sex with him. Kentucky Department of Corrections records show he pleaded guilty to unlawful transaction with a minor and a judge sentenced him to five years probation.
People who lived nearby also had fond memories of Parrett.
“She was truly, truly sunlight in a dark room,” Ken Korfhagen told the TV station.
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