Hundreds of people packed Thomas More Stadium in Florence, Kentucky, this month for ocTURBOfest, a car-show benefit built to honor four people killed in a mass shooting at a home birthday party in July 2024 and to raise money for survivors of domestic and interpersonal violence. The gathering drew family members, friends, and strangers who've kept returning for three straight years to say the victims' names out loud.
As WLWT reported, the four who died were 44-year-old Melissa Parrett, 20-year-old Shane Miller, 20-year-old Hayden Rybicki, and 19-year-old Delaney Eary. The shooting happened at a residence in Florence, Kentucky, and the gunman, 21-year-old Chase Garvey, was an uninvited guest who stalked outside the home before opening fire around 2:50 a.m. on July 6, 2024, according to Law & Crime. Garvey died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after fleeing officers and crashing his vehicle south of Union, Kentucky, the outlet reported. Court records cited by the same outlet show Garvey had pleaded guilty in 2021 to unlawful transaction with a minor after sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl he met on Snapchat, a case that ended in five years of probation.
A Community Still Reeling, Three Years Later
Beyond the four killed, three young adults were critically injured in the attack: 19-year-old Chloe Parrett, Konnor Markesbery, and Claire Smith, all rushed to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, according to The Independent. Chloe Parrett is Bruce Parrett's daughter, and she lost her mother, Melissa — known to loved ones as Missy — in the shooting, per the same WLWT report. Chloe said she appreciates that attendees at ocTURBOfest say her mother's name, and she told WLWT she recommends that people in difficult situations contact the Ion Center for Violence Prevention for help.
Bruce Parrett said the community is still reeling from the shooting, and that the foundation behind the event keeps the victims in people's minds, per WLWT's report. He said the foundation also reminds people about domestic abuse, gun violence, and their effects on communities. Lacey Grady, Hayden Rybicki's older sister, said the event keeps the victims going and alive, according to the station's report. Rybicki loved cars, and his family founded ocTURBOfest in his memory — now in its third year, with a car show honoring the four victims at its center.
Funding a Regional Safety Net
Proceeds from ocTURBOfest support the mission of the Hayden Rybicki Foundation, established in 2024 to provide financial aid for victims' families covering medical and funeral expenses, fund grief counseling, and run educational programs on domestic violence and teen suicide prevention, according to the ocTURBOfest organization. Funds from the event help provide essential resources, toys, and gifts for survivors supported by the Ion Center for Violence Prevention, per the same WLWT account, which operates a 24/7 hotline and offers advocates and resources for people experiencing domestic or interpersonal violence.
The Ion Center traces its roots to 1976, when it was founded as the Rape Crisis Center of Northern Kentucky, and it now delivers free, confidential advocacy and crisis services across 13 counties in Northern Kentucky and the Buffalo Trace region, according to the Ion Center for Violence Prevention. The center also operates residential shelters. The center also provided 5,089 pet bed-nights through an onsite kennel and foster program, the same data shows, so survivors aren't forced to leave companion animals behind in dangerous homes.
A Historic Tragedy for Florence
Florence Police Chief Jeff Mallery said the July 2024 attack marked the first mass shooting in the city's history, according to CBS News, which reported that responding officers arrived at the scene while shots were still being fired inside the residence. Days after the shooting, hundreds of Northern Kentucky residents gathered with Florence Mayor Julie Metzger Aubuchon and local clergy for a community-wide memorial at Crossroads Florence Church, per LINK nky.
ocTURBOfest's benefit, held at the Florence Y'alls' home field, now known as Thomas More Stadium under a five-year naming rights deal with Thomas More University, has become one way the region channels that grief into ongoing support. Kentucky domestic violence organizations, including the Ion Center, also take part in the state's annual Shop & Share initiative, an effort backed by Kentucky's First Lady that has raised more than $5 million in supplies and funds for shelters since 2008, according to the NKyTribune. For families like the Rybickis and Parretts, car shows and canned-food drives alike have become ways of making sure four names from a single July night are not forgotten.
