In the small community of Vicco, Kentucky, a heartbreaking event unfolded on October 14, 2020, that resulted in the death of two-year-old Sunday Rose Hampton. The young girl, a female who loved the outdoors and playing with her kitten and puppy at her grandmother's house, was fatally shot inside her family's home on Montgomery Creek Road.
On that Wednesday morning, the tranquility of the neighborhood was shattered by gunfire.
Sunday Rose's father, David Hampton, 36, opened fire on his own children. In an act of immense bravery, the children's mother, Christy Hampton, a teacher in the Perry County school system, managed to get her three children out of the house and to the safety of her parents' home next door.
Despite her mother's efforts, Sunday Rose succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead at the Hazard Appalachian Regional Healthcare hospital. Her 12-year-old brother was also shot and seriously injured in the neck. He was airlifted to a hospital in Tennessee and was reported to be in stable condition with expectations of a full recovery. A third child who was in the home at the time was unharmed.
Law enforcement, including the Kentucky State Police and the Perry County Sheriff's Office, responded to the scene. David Hampton was arrested and had to be forcibly removed from the residence. He was subsequently charged with murder attempted murder, two counts of first-degree wanton endangerment, and resisting arrest. Authorities stated that the shootings were intentional and premeditated. The incident left the entire community in a state of shock.
