HENDERSON, Ky. — Two teenagers are in custody after a 35-year-old man was shot and killed early Sunday at a home in rural Henderson County, but the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office has yet to announce formal charges and has provided few details about what led to the shooting.
According to a sheriff’s office news release, deputies were called to the 13000 block of Ranch Road in Waverly at approximately midnight following a report of a shooting at a private residence. Waverly is a small community near Smith Mills, roughly 15 miles south of Henderson.
The deputies arrived to find two men with gunshot wounds. One man — later identified as 35-year-old Justin Utley — was pronounced deceased. The other man, a 40-year-old Henderson County resident, had ben shot, suffered serious injuries and was transported to a hospital in Evansville. He has since been released, according to the sheriff’s office.
Investigators said a disagreement preceded the shooting, but details on what said disagreement entailed remain scant.
Two juvenile suspects left the area before deputies arrived but were later identified and apprehended. Both Henderson County residents, the 16- and 17-year-old suspects were booked into the McCracken County Juvenile Detention Center in connection with Utley’s killing, the sheriff’s office said.
Under Kentucky law, juveniles accused of serious violent crimes, including murder, can be transferred to adult court. It was not immediately clear whether prosecutors would take that step. The Henderson County Attorney has not indicated what charges, if any, prosecutors intend to seek.
Utley leaves behind two young sons — ages 6 and 3 months — his family told Evansville television station WFIE.
Anyone with information about the case can contact the sheriff’s office directly at (270) 826-2713.
Houston Harwood may be contacted at houston.harwood@courierpress.com
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Henderson man killed, another injured; 2 teens held as suspects
Reporting by Houston Harwood, Evansville Courier & Press / Evansville Courier & Press
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By Houston Harwood, Evansville Courier & Press | USA TODAY Network
