What we know about the victims of Florence, KY mass shooting and how you can help
After a mass shooting in Florence early Saturday left four people dead, in addition to the shooter, the victims’ families and friends have organized fundraisers to help with recovery costs and more.
Boone County Coroner Missy Rittinger previously told the Herald-Leader shots rang out at about 3 a.m. Saturday at a party, and four people were killed.
In the aftermath, suspected shooter Chase Garvey fled the scene, according to Florence police. Officers pursued in a car chase that ended with Garvey crashing in a ditch. Police discovered the 20-year-old had a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and he was pronounced dead at St. Elizabeth Florence Hospital.
In addition to the four people killed at the party, three others were injured and taken to UC Medical Center in Cincinnati. All were stable and expected to recover as of Saturday afternoon, police said.
The victims of Saturday’s shooting in Florence
The four victims killed in shooting were identified by police as:
Shane Miller, 20, of Florence
Hayden Rybicki, 20, of Elsmere
Delaney Eary, 19, of Burlington
Melissa Parrett, 44, of Florence
Claire Smith, another victim, is currently receiving medical treatment and is expected to take months to recover. A GoFundMe fundraiser has been set up on Smith’s behalf.
According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Eary was an ex-girlfriend of Garvey, who was not invited to the party.
Garvey had a criminal record prior to the shooting. Court records show he was arrested in 2021 and charged in the rape of a 13-year-old girl. After he pleaded guilty in 2023 to unlawful transaction with a minor in the second degree, a felony offense, Garvey was sentenced to five years probation.
Melissa “Missy” Parrett
According to media reports, Parrett was throwing a birthday party at her home for her son, who was celebrating his 21st birthday.
In a Facebook post, family friend Chad Caddell remembered Parrett as “a contagious light of fun, humor, joy” who “loved everyone around her with a fierce kind of love.”
Parrett’s surviving family members have organized a fundraiser on GoFundMe.
Delaney Eary
According to the Courier-Journal, Paris Miller, the sister of victim Shane Miller, described Eary as having the “brightest, biggest smile, just like Shane.”
Friends have set up two GoFundMe fundraisers for Eary’s family, each can be found online.
Hayden Rybicki
Friends of Rybicki described his “contagious smile” and love of snowboarding, according to a report from Fox19 in Cincinnati.
“He would always put a smile on someone’s face, doesn’t matter who it was, during the day, if it was just a random person at Walmart,” longtime friend Jackson Hemingway told Fox19. “He would always make someone laugh or have a person to laugh at.”
A family member of Rybicki has set up a GoFundMe fundraiser.
Shane Miller
In a statement to Fox19 in Cincinnati, Miller’s aunt Sheryl Beatty described him as “a young man that any parent would be proud to call their own.”
Beatty added of Miller “He was always smiling with a kind word for everyone. He was a fun person to be around.”
Beatty has organized a GoFundMe fundraiser for Miller.
This story was originally published July 8, 2024 at 1:42 PM.