Doorbell cam captures gunman moments before Florence mass shooting
Neighbors' security cameras show the suspect in the Florence mass shooting may have been scoping out the home almost an hour before he went inside and opened fire.
Officers were dispatched to the Ridgecrest Drive home at 2:51 a.m. Saturday.
A neighbor's security camera shows the suspect lurking around almost an hour earlier.
Just after 2 a.m. Saturday, the gunman, Chase Garvey, is seen on a security camera walking in between houses.
The doorbell camera video shows Garvey turning, looking backward, and then continuing on his way toward the front of the home while putting what appears to be a phone in his right pocket.
About 11 minutes later, according to the video's timestamp, he walks back into the same camera's view, fussing with the bottom right side of his shirt then heading toward the front of the house.
Five minutes later, at 2:16 a.m., he's at another location with his hand around his waist.
About 34 more minutes would pass before the first signs anything was wrong.
The doorbell camera captures a loud noise, followed by screams and gunshots.
Garvey died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a police pursuit following the shooting.
According to court records, in 2021 Garvey was charged with the rape of a 13-year-old in Kentucky. That charge was dropped when he pleaded guilty to unlawful transaction with a minor. He was sentenced to five years probation.
Court documents indicate he served 230 days.
Then, in June 2023, he was caught doing donuts in a parking lot. Court documents indicate that inside the car with him was a 13-year-old.
Despite the felony conviction, Garvey somehow got a gun.
Florence police said the investigation is looking into how that happened, saying if they can pinpoint where he got the gun they could charge the person who gave it to him or sold it to him.