(1).jpg)
Jason Hendrix
UPDATE:
As part of the ongoing investigation into what led 16-year-old Jason Hendrix to fatally shoot his parents and younger sister last week, Corbin Police have conducted interviews with at least five family members, authorities said Tuesday.
Corbin Police Major Rob Jones, the department’s public affairs officer, said investigators met with the family members Monday and Tuesday. The gruesome deaths were discovered Saturday afternoon.
"Everybody we have talked to said he was a good kid," said Corbin Police Chief David Campbell.
Hendrix was a junior at Corbin High School and a member of the school’s JROTC program. He was also an active member of Forward Community Church. To everyone who knew him, he seemed like a bright, happy teen incapable of the violent outburst that led to the tragic deaths last week.
Campbell said investigators have found evidence that Hedrix’s parents, Kevin and Sarah Hendrix, had restricted their son’s computer usage recently for some reason. Authorities believe that may have been the spark for a violent rampage that ended in the three shooting deaths, and then the teen’s own demise in Baltimore Saturday.
Hendrix’s computer has been taken into evidence and the contents are being examined in a further effort to find a motive for the killings.
Campbell said Kevin, Sarah and their daughter, Grace, were each shot three times with a 9 mm handgun sometime between 4 and 6 p.m. last Wednesday. Based on interviews, it appears Jason Hendrix then went to a church youth meeting at Forward Community Church in Corbin. Campbell told the Lexington Herald-Leader that Jason Hendrix told people at that meeting that he had found his dad’s guns. The shootings appeared planned. Pillows were used to muffle the sound of gunshots.
The bodies of the family were found Saturday when Officer Steve Meadors was dispatched to the residence to perform a welfare check in response to a call police received from Baltimore County Police. Two of the victim’s were found in the kitchen, and the other was discovered in a back bedroom.
Campbell said the teen, who was killed earlier in the day Saturday in a shootout with Baltimore County (Md.) Police, had been travelling through New Jersey on Thursday following the shootings, though the question of "why" he decided to travel to the East Coast has been elusive.
"Family members said they didn’t know anybody in New Jersey or Baltimore," Campbell said.
Jason Hendrix Saturday morning following a high-speed pursuit and shootout with police near Baltimore, MD. He injured one officer and was fatally wounded by return fire. According to the Baltimore Sun newspaper, the shootout in Maryland happened following a pursuit that started when police tried to pull over a speeding vehicle. It ended when the car, an SUV registered to an owner in Corbin, crashed into another car. Campbell said the SUV belonged to Sarah Hendrix. When police approached the SUV, the driver opened fire and wounded one police officer. Six other officers returned fire and killed the gunman. Authorities are saying the person that was killed was Jason Hendrix.
When Baltimore County Police searched the vehicle, they found the 9mm handgun along with two .38-caliber revolvers, double-barrel shotgun and a backpack filled with ammunition.
Those close to the family said the couple’s son hadn’t been seen at school since last Tuesday.
His father worked in the office of Whitley County Circuit Clerk Gary Barton and hadn’t been to work in two days. Barton said Saturday night he was "devastated" by the news of the deaths.
Tri-County Cineplex, the home of Forward Community Church, was closed Sunday because of the tragedy. Suzie Razmus, co-owner of the theater, said Keith and Jason Hendrix were heavily involved in the church when it was founded, arriving around 7 a.m. to set up the equipment for the 10 a.m. service.
"Jason was the most heavily involved," Razmus said. "Even when the family started going to another church, they would drop Jason off so he could help set up."
Razmus said Jason began working part-time at the theatre in the summer, saying he was far from the typical teenager.
"Jason was a super hard worker and very responsible," Razmus said, noting nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary with him recently.
"Kevin, Sarah and Grace were truly special people," Razmus said. "They are going to be greatly missed."
Grace attended Corbin Intermediate School.
Sarah Hendrix was a professor at Union College in Barbourville.
The school’s official Facebook page acknowledged her death Saturday night, along with that of her husband and daughter. "The Union College community is heartbroken by the tragic deaths of Dr. Sarah Hendrix, her husband Kevin, and their daughter Grace. We have lost a member of our family, a wonderful educator, colleague, and friend. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Hendrix family at this time."
Neighbors say the couple had three children in all together. The couple’s oldest daughter, Elizabeth, attends Berry College in Georgia.
Sarah Hendrix also had a son, Fred Thomas, from a previous marriage. Thomas, now 20, lives in Lexington with his father and attends the University of Kentucky.
An account at the fundraising website gofundme.com has been established to help Elizabeth with expenses.
In a statement released Monday, Corbin School’s Superintendent Ed McNeel said the deaths were shocking and tragic.
"Everyone involved with the Corbin School District is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life as reported Saturday night, February 14. Our deepest condolences go out to the Hendrix family and friends. At this time, the school district’s main objective is the well-being of the student body and to provide the opportunity for students and staff to grieve properly. Grief counseling for students and staff will be available at the school level by qualified professionals."
Police continue to investigate other possible reasons or motives for the killings. Campbell could not say Monday if Hendrix was known to have any mental health issues or possible other reasons for the shootings.
Corbin Police are spearheading the investigation. They are being assisted by multiple agencies including Whitley County Coroner Andy Croley, Kentucky State Police and the Whitley County Sheriff’s Department.
Funeral arrangements for the family were not available as of Tuesday afternoon. The arrangements will be posted at thenewsjournal.net/ when they become available.
