Two shot dead, 17 injured in shooting at rural Ky. school

Marshall County (Wikipedia map)

Two people were killed and 18 at least 17 more were injured this morning in a shooting at Marshall County High School in Benton, Ky., a town of about 4,300, Gov. Matt Bevin said. A 15-year-old girl died at the school and a 15-year-old boy died at a hospital, he said. Some news reports said 19 were injured; Bevin said those included the two fatalities. Five are in critical condition, NPR reports. UPDATE: Sixteen of the 20 were hit by gunshots; four other people were injured in the chaos of the incident, the Louisville Courier Journal reports.

"The shooting occurred in the common area of the school before classes started, said Brian Roy, the former Marshall County sheriff, who has spoken with people at the scene," the CJ reports. A sheriff's deputy arrested the shooter about nine minutes after the shooting. It happened around 8 a.m. CT just as students were headed to class, NBC reports.

The Marshall County Tribune-Courier reported on its Facebook page at 12:35 p.m. CT, "Two dead, 19 injured in school shooting; 14 injuries are gunshot-related. Five others are not gunshot-related. The shooter is a 15 year-old-male." The weapon was a handgun, State Police Commissioner Rick Sanders said at a news conference (video via Courier Journal). He said students, who recently had training in dealing with active shooters, reacted properly.

The online Marshall County Daily reports, "Two have been transported to Marshall County Hospital, at least one to Lourdes Hospital [in Paducah] and two life-flighted to Nashville hospitals with face, chest and leg injuries. . . . The name of the shooter has not been released." He will be charged with murder and attempted murder, officials said. Marshall County Attorney Jeffery Edwards said he would ask that the boy be tried as an adult.

Edwards "said it did not appear the gunman targeted specific people," the Courier Journal reports. Bevin and Sanders said they wouldn't answer questions, and the journalists didn't ask any. Sanders urged witnesses to talk to state police before talking to news media. "We don't want to do anything to hinder the prosecution," Sanders said.

The incident came a day after a 16-year-old boy shot a 15-year-old girl in a school cafeteria in Italy, Texas, a town of about 1,850. The girl was hospitalized in Dallas. A student told The Associated Press that "she'd complained about the boy at least twice to school officials, including to a vice principal," the Dallas Morning News reports. Cassie Shook, 17, "said she first went to school officials after the boy allegedly made a 'hit list' in eighth grade and her name was on it."