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Two people were killed and multiple others injured during a shooting that took place at a homeless shelter in Kentucky Thursday (August 25) night, the Henderson Police Department announced in a post shared on its Facebook page.
Kenneth B. Gibbs, of Henderson, was identified as the shooter in relation to the incident at Harbor House Christian Center and taken into custody at around 9:55 p.m.
The local coroner confirmed that two people were found fatally shot at the facility, while 13 others were evacuated, including two who were transported to a local hospital to receive medical treatment, WEHT reports.
Harbor House is listed online as a homeless shelter and describes itself on its Facebook page as "a safe harbor for men in need. Harbor House is a Christian-based organization dedicated to bringing men up in the community, by promoting a God-based foundation."
The shelter assists men in need with housing, meals and finding jobs, according to the Courier & Press in Evansville, Indiana.
Henderson City Commissioner Robert Pruitt said the facility has been around since 1989 and described it as an asset to the local community, but said the incident "tonight puts a scar on that."
Brian McClain, a resident at Harbor, told the Courier & Press that the incident took place just after the conclusion of a church service while he was resting in the dormitory area before leaving for his third-shift job.
McClain said a man suspected of being the shooter flipped on the lights in the dormitory area just seconds before the incident taking place.
"He looked at me funny and shut the light back off, and when he went out the dorm room, it wasn’t five seconds later I heard shots," he said.
McClain said he heard "eight or nine shots" of what he believed to be handgun fire before jumping out of his bed and running toward a window.
"Finally I got my mind about me and unlocked the window and got out," he said. 'And another dude ran into the dorm and said ‘man I think I’m shot.' And he got shot right here in the (left) shoulder.”
McClain told the Courier & Press that he knew the two victims killed in the shooting and described them as "two of the nicest guys you've ever met."