2018 Marshall County High School shooting

On the morning of January 23, 2018, at approximately 7:57 a.m., a 15-year-old sophomore identified as Gabriel Ross Parker opened fire with a Ruger handgun in the commons area of Marshall County High School near Benton, Kentucky, as students gathered before classes. Witnesses described the gunman as silent, with "lifeless" eyes, during the attack. Parker reportedly checked the school's band room to ensure friends were not in the area before returning to the commons to begin shooting. Two 15-year-old students, Bailey Nicole Holt and Preston Ryan Cope, were killed. Holt died at the scene after reportedly calling her mother but being unable to speak. Cope was airlifted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he later died of a non-survivable gunshot wound to the head; his parents reached the hospital before he died. Eighteen other people were injured, including thirteen male and five female students aged 14 to 18, with injuries ranging from gunshot wounds to injuries sustained amid the chaos as students fled the campus, some jumping fences or running into wooded areas.

After the shooting, Parker discarded the weapon and hid in the school's weight room among other students who were initially unaware of his identity. Another student recognized him as the shooter and alerted a teacher, who contacted law enforcement. Parker was taken into custody by the Marshall County Sheriff's Department at 8:06 a.m. A search of his bag reportedly turned up a copy of the Communist Manifesto and a knife; a copy of Mein Kampf was found at his home. During a nearly two-hour interview before requesting a lawyer, Parker reportedly told investigators he had planned the night before to take his stepfather's pistol and had weighed the "pros and cons" of the act. According to testimony from a Marshall County Sheriff's captain, Parker described himself as an atheist who believed his and others' lives had no purpose, and indicated the shooting was an "experiment" to observe how people would respond.

Parker was arraigned in Marshall County Circuit Court on February 16, 2018, charged with two counts of murder and fourteen counts of first-degree assault, and was tried as an adult after a request to move the case to juvenile court was denied. In May 2019, the trial venue was moved to Christian County due to publicity. In April 2020, Parker pleaded guilty to murder. On June 12, 2020, he was sentenced to two life terms plus 70 years, with parole eligibility after 20 years; families of the victims delivered impact statements at sentencing.

The community responded with benefit concerts, the "Marshall Strong" campaign, and federal grants supporting victims and mental health resources. The school implemented new safety measures, including metal detector wands, check-in procedures for late arrivals, an additional resource officer, and a ban on backpacks. In September 2018, the student body received the 911 Hero Award for their actions during the shooting.