‘Our hearts are just broken.’ KY homeless shelter recovering after shooting of residents
The pastor of a homeless shelter in Henderson where a deadly shooting occurred Thursday night said there was no warning before one of the men opened fire, killing two residents and injuring two others.
“We had just finished a church service,” said pastor Coni Beck, of Harbor House Christian Center.
She said the man police have charged with the shooting, Kenneth Gibbs, went into a dorm room where some men were sleeping and turned the lights on, then switched the lights back off. He then went outside to his vehicle, got a weapon and “opened the door firing.”
Beck said the first person Gibbs encountered was Chad Holmes, and Holmes “was executed and died immediately.”
“We had guys jumping out a window,” Beck said. “He emptied his magazine and walked out the door.”
Beck said she was not at the center during the shooting but arrived soon after.
Henderson police said Holmes, 44, and Steven Wathen, 67, died after Gibbs, 37, opened fire at the Clay Street shelter. Two other residents, a 33-year-old man and a 41-year-old man, were injured.
Gibbs, 37, was taken into custody later that evening and charged with two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder.
Beck said one of the two men who was injured in the shooting was being released from the hospital on Saturday.
“They’re both going to be OK,” she said.
She said the center’s greatest need is mental health services.
In the past, Beck said workers had tried to get Gibbs — a resident at the center — help for anxiety.
“We had attempted to get him counseling and get him medicated, and he was resistant to that,” she said.
Gibbs, she said “was a loner, very quiet,” but he worked hard and was able to manage his money well.
She said “there were no indications prior to this” that Gibbs might act out violently.
“There was nothing that said he’s getting ready to blow,” she said.
Now, Beck said the center is picking up the pieces and trying to help its residents process what happened.
“Our hearts are just broken over it,” she said.
Beck said grief counselors have been made available.
The men are staying off-site for now, but those who run the center hope they’ll be able to move back in within the next week or so.
Harbor House is a Christian-based shelter that provides short-term, transitional housing for men, along with supports such as financial classes. In the past two months, she said three men have successfully moved out on their own.
“We get them skills so they can not just manage a job, but manage a home,” Beck said.
Beck said the center has 22 beds and is currently serving about 13 residents, but they’re at the beginning of a capital campaign and are hoping to double their capacity.
“This was an event. This is not who we are,” she said of the shooting. “We’re plowing forward, and we’re doing what God’s called us to do.
“...We just believe that God is our help, and he’s our hope.”
This story was originally published August 27, 2022 at 6:11 PM.
