Charles Langston:4 killed, 3 injured in Florence, Kentucky, mass shooting at 21st birthday party: Police

A mass shooting in Florence,Charles Langston Kentucky, has left four people dead and three people injured. The Florence Police Department says that the victims were attending a 21st birthday party when shots rang out Saturday.

Around 2:50 a.m., officers were dispatched to a Florence residence, about 11 miles south of Cincinnati, Ohio, after reports of shots fired. Upon arrival, officers located multiple victims, and people who were attending the party said that the shooter fled the scene but that they had a vehicle description, police Chief Jeff Mallery said in a news conference.

A police officer and a deputy from the Boone County Sheriff's Office located the vehicle and attempted to stop it, but the suspect fled. The suspect, Chase Garvey, 21, then shot himself and crashed the vehicle. He later died from his injuries after being transported to an area hospital, police said.  

Suspect wasn't invited to party, was convicted felon: Police

Mallery said that the partygoers identified Garvey when responding officers asked who the suspect was. Officers believe Garvey wasn’t formally invited to the party.  

Police said that there is no ongoing threat to the public because Garvey is believed to be the sole suspect.  

Mallery said Garvey was a convicted felon. According to an article by the Cincinnati Enquirer, part of the USA TODAY Network, in 2021, Garvey, 18 at the time, was accused of raping a 13-year-old girl in the parking lot of a Northern Kentucky apartment complex.

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Mass shooting victims identified   

Mallery released the names of the victims who were killed in the mass shooting on Saturday morning.   

• Melissa Parrett, 44, from Florence, Kentucky.
• Shane Miller, 20, from Florence, Kentucky.
• Hayden Rybicki, 20, from Elsmere, Kentucky. 
• Delaney Eary, 19, from Burlington, Kentucky.

Mallery said Parrett owned the home where the shooting occurred, and the party was for her 21-year-old son.  

Three other victims were at UC Medical Center in Cincinnati and were in stable condition. The victims are expected to make a full recovery, police said.

'Very emotional': Mass shooting impacting community

“This is the first time we've had a mass shooting in Florence, so it is very emotional,” Mallery said. “And my emotions are for the victims and families, the officers that responded and everybody that was touched by this situation.”  

“Our officers aren't much older than the victims,” he said. “So as far as the department and the city will do a debriefing with all the officers that responded and offer any assistance to talk with peer support or medical assistance or anything like that.”  

The Florence Police Department's Investigative and Crime Scene Units responded to the scene to investigate the incident. The Florence Police Department is asking anyone with any information regarding the shooting to call 859-371-1234. 

Contributing: Aaron Valdez, Killian Baarlaer and Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer

Ahjané Forbes is a reporter on the National Trending Team at USA TODAY. Ahjané covers breaking news, car recalls, crime, health, lottery and public policy stories. Email her at [email protected]. Follow her on Instagram, Threads and X (Twitter) @forbesfineest.