4 victims’ names released in Kentucky shootings

Paintsville, Ky. — Kentucky State Police have released the names of four people who were killed in a weekend shooting spree.

State Police Trooper William Petry says in a news release that James and Arlene Nickell were gunned down Saturday at a residence in the McKenzie Branch area of Flatgap, Kentucky, while Lindsey and Patricia Vanhoose were fatally shot at an apartment in nearby Paintsville.

Johnson County Sheriff Dwayne Price has said the body of the shooter, Joseph Nickell, also was found at the apartment in what authorities described as a murder-suicide involving several family members.

The statement didn’t indicate the relationships between Joseph Nickell and the victims or give a motive for the shootings, which remain under investigation. A message left with Petry wasn’t immediately returned.

Johnson County Sheriff Dwayne Price says in a Facebook post Saturday night: “This has been a horrific murder spree.”

Price says Paintsville authorities received a 911 call at 3:33 p.m. Saturday about a shooting at a residence in the McKenzie Branch community. Price and responding deputies found two victims dead in the kitchen.

No further information was immediately available.