A quiet and gentle man, 67-year-old Steven Wathen, found himself seeking shelter at the Harbor House Christian Center in Henderson, Kentucky. He had been a resident for over a year, having previously spent about two years sleeping on park benches. Known as 'the quiet humble gentleman' at the shelter, he was a devout man who loved to talk about his family and carried a photo of his parents in his Bible.
His peaceful existence was shattered on the evening of August 25, 2022, when a fellow resident, Kenneth Gibbs, opened fire within the walls of the shelter following a church service.
The sudden eruption of violence left two men dead, including Steven Wathen and another resident, 44-year-old Chad Holmes. The shooting, which occurred around 7:40 p.m., sent shockwaves through the small community that had formed within the Harbor House. Wathen, who had once considered moving out, had ultimately decided to stay because of the fondness he shared with the people there. Friends and staff at the shelter remembered him as a 'precious, precious man' with a sweet, quiet smile.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, law enforcement identified 39-year-old Kenneth Gibbs as the suspect based on eyewitness accounts. A search for Gibbs ensued, and he was located and arrested without incident about two hours later at a park roughly two and a half miles from the shelter. A handgun was found in his possession at the time of his arrest. The motive for the shooting was not immediately made public. Gibbs, who had been a resident at the shelter for about a year after a previous incarceration, was charged with two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder.
The legal process that followed the tragic event brought a measure of closure to the community. In August 2024, Kenneth Gibbs pleaded guilty to two counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder. The following month, he was sentenced to two life sentences without the possibility of parole, to be served concurrently with additional ten-year sentences for each count of attempted murder. The conviction ensured that the man responsible for the senseless deaths of Steven Wathen and Chad Holmes would spend the remainder of his life behind bars.
