Police investigate the scene after responding to a shooting, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Florence, Ky. (Frank Bowen IV/The Cincinnati Enquirer via AP)
FLORENCE, Ky. (AP) – Four people were killed and three others were wounded in an early Saturday shooting during a party at a home in northern Kentucky, police said.
The shooting suspect later died after fleeing the home and leading police on a vehicle pursuit that ended with the suspect’s car falling into a ditch, police said.
Police heard shots being fired when they arrived at a home in Florence at about 2:50 a.m., said Jeff Mallery, the city’s police chief. Police found seven shooting victims at the home, Mallery told media during a news conference.
Four people were found dead, police said. Three people were taken to a hospital in Cincinnati in critical condition. They were expected to recover, Mallery said.
The suspect led police on a chase that ended after his vehicle went off a road and fell into a ditch. The suspect had a self-inflicted gunshot wound and died at a hospital, police said.
Police said the suspect acted alone, and there was no ongoing threat to the public.
People had gathered at the home for a birthday party for the 21-year-old son of the homeowner, Mallery said. The homeowner died in the shooting, the police chief said. It appeared that the 20-year-old suspect knew people at the party but he had not been invited, Mallery said.
A motive was under investigation.
“I know what’s going on throughout the nation, but this is the first time that we’ve had a mass shooting in Florence,” Mallery said. “Yeah, it is very emotional. My emotions are for the victims, their families, the officers that responded, everybody that was touched by this situation.”
Florence is located about 12 miles (19 kilometers) south of Cincinnati, Ohio.
