In a statement posted on Facebook Saturday night, Johnson County Sheriff Dwayne Price called it a horrific murder spree. Price said the lives of four innocent victims were taken, adding that the perpetrator then took his own life.
In a news release, Sheriff Price says two people were found dead from gunshot wounds in the kitchen of the home in McKenzie Branch. Later police were able to locate the suspects vehicle in Paintsville. When they entered an apartment near where the vehicle was located, Sheriff Price says they found two more victims and the suspect, Joseph Nickell, dead.
Sheriff Price added there are no words to describe the heartbreak in seeing four lives taken due to the actions of one man. He noted it was one of the most disturbing acts of violence he has seen in his 34 year law enforcement career.
Price says the names of the victims were not released pending notification of families.
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