MARSHALL COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18)– Wednesday marks a somber anniversary in Western Kentucky. It’s been one year since a student carried out a mass shooting at Marshall County High School.
Students will take a break from their normal activities to honor Preston Cope and Bailey Holt, both just 15 years old when they were shot and killed.
On this day last year, authorities say a fellow student, Gabriel Parker, walked into a gathering area full of students before classes started and opened fire.
Cope and Holt were killed and more than a dozen others were hurt.
Parker, who was also 15 at the time, was arrested shortly after the shooting.
He has been charged with two counts of murder and 14 counts of aggravated assault.
A lot has changed at the high school since the shooting. Students at the high school can no longer carry backpacks and are now required to walk through metal detectors each morning.
On this one year anniversary, students will begin with a ceremony and then after that all classes will be shorter.
“It’s not any other day for us. It’s a time-mark day for Marshall County. And we’re going to acknowledge that and do the best we can. We’re not perfect, but we’re going to try.”
Corresponding with the anniversary, the families of four students who were shot are suing the school district.
There are 18 defendants in the lawsuit, including the school district, Gabriel Parker, and his mother and stepfather.
