A birthday party in Kentucky took a turn for the tragic on Saturday as police chased after a convicted felon who ultimately killed four people then himself.
The shooting occurred just before 2:50 a.m. on the 2600 block of Ridgecrest Drive in Florence, Kentucky, where homeowner Melissa Parrett was hosting her son’s birthday party.
The shooter, 21-year-old Chase Garvey, was not an invited guest and it’s still unknown how he was able to get inside the home. Three others were hurt in his rampage.
Police Chief Jeff Mallery said the officers were responding to an emergency call when they arrived on scene around 11:15 p.m. and heard continued gunfire in progress. When they arrived at the home, they discovered multiple victims. Partygoers said the man had run off.
“She was the life of the party,” one neighbor told WLWT of Parrett.
“She was always up for having fun. Swimming in her pool. Having a few drinks. She was a really good woman. And a great mother.”
Those most affected were transported to the University of Cincinnati hospital and all three have been listed as critical but stable.
Garvey’s relationship to the victims has not yet been released by police.
Garvey fled the party as guests recognized him but witnesses provided police with a description. Within moments, officers found the car near an intersection just a few blocks from the house.
He later committed suicide from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and drove into a ditch more than four miles away from the shooting site. Garvey was taken to a hospital where he died.
Last year, Garvey was found guilty of first-degree rape and second degree sodomy – both felony sex crimes.
“We never dealt with this before, I know it’s going around the nation but this is the first time we had a mass shooting in Florence, so yeah it is very emotional,” Mallery said.
