HENDERSON, Ky. (AP) — Two people were killed and two wounded in a shooting at a homeless shelter for men in western Kentucky and a suspect has been taken into custody, authorities said.
Officers responded Thursday evening to a report of an active shooter at the Harbor House Christian Center, the Henderson Police Department said in a statement on social media.
What You Need To Know
- Two people were killed and two wounded in a shooting at a homeless shelter for men in Henderson
- The shooting occurred around 7:40 p.m. when about 15 people were inside the facility
- Police identified the suspect as Kenneth B. Gibbs of Henderson and said he was found and taken into custody shortly before 10 p.m.
- Harbor House resident Brian McClain told the newspaper a church service had just ended and he was resting in a dorm room when a man he believed to be the shooter turned the lights on suddenly
The shooting occurred around 7:40 p.m. when about 15 people were inside the facility, Henderson City Commissioner Robert Pruitt told The Courier & Press in Evansville, Indiana.
Police identified the suspect as Kenneth B. Gibbs of Henderson and said he was found and taken into custody shortly before 10 p.m.
Henderson Police Chief Sean McKinney told the newspaper Gibbs was identified as the shooter by witnesses at the shelter and was armed when he was found walking at the Atkinson Park softball fields. In a news release, Henderson Police said Gibbs was a resident at Harbor House.
In a statement, Henderson Police said when they arrived at the scene they found four people with gunshot wounds. One person was dead, the three others were taken to the hopsital where a second victim died. 67-year-old Steven Wathen and 44-year old Chad Holmes were killed. A 33-year-old man and a 41-year old man survived the shooting and are both still hospitalized. Police say they are in stable condition. All four men lived at Harbor House.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Henderson this morning after a senseless act of violence took the lives of two people,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear tweeted Friday morning. “Britainy and I pray those injured recover quickly and we give thanks to our brave first responders. Henderson, we stand with you.”
Harbor House is described on its Facebook page as a Christian-based homeless shelter and a “safe harbor for men in need."
Pruitt said Harbor House has been an asset for the community since it opened in 1989, but “tonight puts a scar on that.”
Harbor House resident Brian McClain told the newspaper a church service had just ended and he was resting in a dorm room when a man he believed to be the shooter turned the lights on suddenly.
“He looked at me funny and shut the light back off, and when he went out the dorm room, it wasn’t five seconds later I heard shots,” he said.
He said he jumped out of bed, unlocked a window and climbed out.
“It’s crazy,” he said. “I don’t know what the hell is wrong with people, man.”
Henderson Police Chief Sean McKinney told Spectrum News 1, he doesn't know a motive for the shooting. McKinney said, his officers just completed active shooter training last week.
“That was very intense training based for events such as this and I do believe that helped in our response and it was keenly on our minds at the time,” says McKinney.
Gibbs is being held at Henderson County Detention Center and is charged with two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder. He is set to appear in court Tuesday, Aug. 20.