Kentucky shooting: Confusion, then chaos, at Marshall County High School as shots rang out

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect the total number of people who were injured while fleeing the violence. Kentucky State Police updated the number to seven victims on Friday.  

BENTON, Ky. — It was a normal day.

Joseph Morton was in the school library working on a computer. Ariyanne Posey stood in an area called the commons with friends. Keatyn Gamble was about to leave her home, across the street from Marshall County High School.

Then, just before 8 a.m., that normalcy was shattered by the sound of a gunshot.

To Posey, it sounded like a balloon popping. Maybe it was someone's birthday, she thought to herself. To Morton, it sounded like someone stomping their feet.

There was a moment of silence after the first shot, said senior Matt Ray. Then another shot, and people started to realize what was happening.  

Background:What we know now: Marshall County High School shooting

A student had brought a handgun to school and was opening fire on his classmates. In the span of about nine minutes, he would shoot 16 people, killing two. Another seven were injured in the ensuing chaos.  

The 15-year-old shooter, who has not been named by authorities because he is a juvenile, faces charges of murder and first-degree assault and is expected to be tried as an adult.

As the gunshots continued, they were followed by screams. People started running. 

Ray, who stood on the far right side of the commons, near the exit, realized a beat later than everyone else what was happening. He was hit by someone running and fell. Students stepped on his back, trampling him.

Posey stood frozen in shock, and might not have realized she needed to start running if it weren't for her boyfriend, fellow sophomore Brennan Larimer. They ran away together.

Morton, also a senior, saved the Word document he was working on and then took cover in the library.

Elsewhere, students escaped the building, some running down the street to a dentist office or a McDonald's, others hopping into strangers' cars and asking them to drive away.

"I could see, adjacent to the high school, the parking lot, and all the chaos there as everyone was running," Ray said, "and some people were trying to escape by trying to drive away really quickly."

From across the street, Gamble saw dozens of students running in all directions, sprinting, falling, trying to get somewhere safe.

Background:Kentucky State Police had held active-shooter training at Marshall County High School

Hannah Lyles and Sydney Ellegood were in the parking lot, on their way into the building for class, when students began rushing out.

"Tons of kids, the looks on their faces were just awful," Ellegood, a junior, said through tears.

By 8:06 a.m., the shooter was apprehended by Marshall County deputies. 

Sophomore Bailey Nicole Holt, 15, was pronounced dead at the scene by the Marshall County coroner. Preston Ryan Cope, 15, died at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, according to Kentucky State Police spokesman Jody Cash.

Collier Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 211 W. 5th St. in Benton, is handling the funeral arrangements for both Holt and Cope. Details have not yet been released. 

In the hours following the shooting, five male students were airlifted to Vanderbilt. A sixth student, a female, was driven to the Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt later Tuesday. 

Update:Kentucky high school shooting: First wounded student released from Vanderbilt hospital

The female student was released from the hospital Wednesday afternoon. Four male victims were still being treated at Vanderbilt on Wednesday evening, with three in stable condition and one in critical but stable condition. 

Authorities haven't identified the people who were wounded or injured. Cash said they likely won't release their names because they are minors.

Initial reports from authorities were that the suspected shooter, a sophomore, would be charged with murder and attempted murder, but officials said Wednesday he'd been charged with two counts of murder and 12 counts of first-degree assault. 

"Assault first is a little easier to prove than attempted murder and it's the same penalty," said Assistant Marshall County Attorney Jason Darnall. 

The case will go before a grand jury on Feb. 13, Darnall said, and it's possible that the charges could change. 

You may like:Kentucky shootings: Gun-toting school marshals could prevent violence, lawmakers say

In the meantime, the teen is being held at a juvenile jail in Paducah, about half an hour from the school, authorities said. He has been appointed an attorney.

Darnall declined to say whether the suspect has a criminal history. When asked if the teen was injured in the shooting, Darnall responded, "Not that I know of."

Attorney General Andy Beshear said state — and possibly federal — charges will be brought against the suspect. 

"We'd have to wait and see what some of the other circumstances are," he said. "... What's most important is that we see justice."

President Donald Trump, too, joined the chorus of state and national politicians offering thoughts and prayers to Marshall County, with a tweet Wednesday that said he'd spoken with Gov. Matt Bevin. 

"My thoughts and prayers are with Bailey Holt, Preston Cope, their families, and all of the wounded victims who are in recovery," Trump wrote. "We are with you!" 

Students were able to return to the school Tuesday to pick up their vehicles but have not been let into the school to get their belongings.

Ray's backpack, he said, is still inside the school. 

Background:JCPS after Kentucky shooting: 'This district and our community stands with Marshall County'

After running to a field, he and others were taken to the school's tech center, a separate building from the main school, Ray said. He remembers seeing a trail of blood leading into the center.

The school's reopening and the return of classes had not been set by Wednesday evening, but elementary and middle schools were to open as normal Thursday.

Across the county, dozens of vigils were held in the hours after the shooting, continuing into Wednesday morning, as residents offered one another solace and solidarity. 

"From across the nation, we've been listening to some advice, and they think we need to get back to normalcy as soon as possible," Superintendent Trent Lovett said.  

Reporters Justin Sayers, Thomas Novelly and Morgan Watkins contributed to this report. Darcy Costello: 502-582-4834; dcostello@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @dctello. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: www.courier-journal.com/darcyc.