“We have never dealt with this before,” was how Florence Police Chief Jeff Mallery described the mass shooting of seven people in the early hours of July 6.

“I know it’s gone on throughout the nation, but this is the first time that we’ve had a mass shooting in Florence,” Mallery said during a press conference that afternoon.?

Devastation ripped through the community as four victims, ranging in age from 19 to 44, died of injuries suffered at a 21st birthday party on Ridgecrest Drive. Twenty-year-old Shane Miller, 20-year-old Hayden Rybicki, 19-year-old Delaney Eary and 44-year-old Melissa Parrett were killed.

Three victims were recovering in the hospital at press time. Among them is 19-year-old Chloe Parrett.?

During a packed vigil for the victims at Crossroads Florence Church on July 9, Bruce Parrett, Chloe’s father and ex-husband of Melissa Parrett, said that Chloe’s mother is the reason she is alive.?

Chloe still faces a long road to recovery: Both of her lungs were affected by her injuries and are unable to hold air, according to her father. “She’s never going to be the same,” Parrett said.?

Attending the memorial was his first time leaving the hospital since Chloe was admitted. He said he was overwhelmed and surprised to see the outpouring of support.?

“The support is just phenomenal. I thought there would be a few people that knew us and knew the other families, but this is definitely the village coming together to help those in need,” he said.

While Parrett is grateful for the support, he said his outlook for the future is grim.?

“I mean, I’m not very hopeful for the future. I really am not after this has happened. I love the support, but it’s just so devastating. Now I’m worried about things like this happening again. If it happened to me, it could happen to anybody. And I hate to see that other families are going to have to go through situations like this.”?

He said guns are too easily accessible to people who shouldn’t have them. “I don’t know what the answer is, but I know what the answer is not,” said Parrett. “The answer is not sitting on our hands and doing nothing.”?

The party was being held for Parrett’s son at the time of the shooting, Mallery said.

Mallery said other partygoers told officers the shooter fled in a vehicle. Officers were able to track down the suspect and attempted to stop him near Farmview Drive and U.S. 42, but the suspect fled again. A chase ensued. Finally, the suspect drove off the road into a ditch on Dale Heimbrock Way near Hicks Pike. The officers found the suspect with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was transported to St. Elizabeth Hospital, where he died.?

The suspect has since been identified as 21-year-old Chase Garvey. Court documents indicate Garvey was on probation for a felony charge of unlawfully transacting with a minor in 2021, a charge he received after pleading down from two other felony charges after sexually assaulting a 13 year old girl in his car.?

He was committed to house arrest before accepting the lower charge instead of facing trial. He was then sentenced to five years in prison, but the sentence was probated on the condition that he not interact with the victim, not commit any more crimes, engage in psychological counseling and maintain employment. He was scheduled to come off of probation in 2027.

Mallery said Garvey’s motive is still under investigation and that he didn’t believe the shooting was connected to Garvey’s past crimes. It is illegal for felony offenders to own a gun, and how Garvey obtained one is still unclear.?

Remembering the victims?

Rybicki’s mother, Cherri McGuire, wrote a letter to her son in his obituary. “You were an unexpected gift from God. You were smart, witty, kind, so handsome and the most loving human being I have ever met. You made me become a stronger and better person. You are my angel. I hope you know how much I love you; I cannot even put it into words.”

Connor Velpreda remembers his best friend, Rybicki, as “a good soul.” He said that “the way he carried himself impacted so many hearts.”

“Through everything he’s endured in this life, the common denominator was always that contagious grin that never seemed to fade,” Velpreda said. “He is someone I am proud to call my best friend, and he was a best friend to more than just [me].”

Shane Miller’s aunt, Sheryl Beatty, sent LINK nky’s media partner WCPO a statement about her nephew, whom she said aspired to be a police officer.

“Shane was a young man that any parent would be proud to call their own. He was always smiling with a kind word for everyone. He was a fun person to be around; he woke every day happy with a positive outlook. He was a charismatic person when people met him they would want to continue to be a friend of his. He enjoyed his friends, but his best friend was his cousin Sergio. Family was everything to him,” Beatty said.?

“Shane was a young, beautiful, amazing man with an old soul. His joy was doing anything outdoors from fishing to kayaking. Shane bought two kayaks, one for him and one for Sergio. He was a bright light to this world and will always be one to his family. There are no words for the pain of his loss or how much he will be missed.”

On July 8, Paige Johnson, a friend of Eary’s, stopped by the memorial set outside the home where the shooting happened.

“Everybody that knew Delaney like seriously loved her so much,” Johnson told WCPO. “Like she was such a joy. Such a light in everybody’s lives.”

Johnson attended Cooper High School with Eary, who was a few years younger. The two shared a love of singing and dancing, she said.

“We had a few friends who would pick us up, and we would all just go to this club that we have for Cooper’s Navigators Ministry, and we all had sunglasses on and I’m sitting on Delaney’s lap, and we’re just like singing and we’re dancing,” Robinson said. “It was awesome. Delaney was just that type of person who would just sit there – dance, laugh, anything like that.”

Leah Moore, who was at the birthday party but left before the shooting, said she’s going to miss Melissa Parrett, who was hosting her son’s birthday party.

“What I’m going to miss most about Missy, especially Missy, is her spirit, her personality,” Moore said. “A lot of people will tell you that people close to them are one of the best people you’ve ever met. Truly, Missy was that.”

A community rallies

Shortly after the tragedy, the community jumped into action to support those reeling from the loss.?

Boone County Public Schools offered free emotional and psychological counseling July 8 to local students and families.?

“This weekend’s tragedy hit home to the Boone County community,” read an announcement from the district. “Some of the victims were connected in some way to the Boone County School District. We would like it to be known that counseling services will be available for any students or families who may need support.”

The next day Crossroads Church in Florence held a community night of prayer, at which Florence Mayor Julie Metzger Aubuchon addressed the community in an emotional speech.

“I had the opportunity of visiting Chloe, Claire, Connor [the three surviving victims] yesterday in the hospital,” Aubuchon said. “They are fighting. Tonight, as we gather at Crossroads Florence, we can connect, support one another, and begin that healing process.”

On July 10, Florence offered professional mental health and pet therapy services at the Florence Government Center.?

LINK nky Kenton County reporter Nathan Granger, LINK nky contributor Hayley Jarman, and WCPO’s Molly Schramm, Valerie Lyons, Krizia Williams and Michael Coker contributed to this story.

This story is republished from LINK nky.