In the early morning hours of June 25, 2008, a typical night shift at the Atlantis Plastics factory in Henderson, Kentucky, turned into a scene of unimaginable horror. Among the victims of the ensuing rampage was Kevin G. Taylor, a 40-year-old male supervisor at the plant. The events of that night cut short the life of a man known as a husband and a father to a daughter and a son.
The tragedy began after a dispute between Taylor and a 25-year-old employee, Wesley Neal Higdon.
Higdon, who reportedly had a reputation for being difficult, had argued with Taylor and was being escorted out of the factory. Shortly after midnight, Higdon retrieved a. 45 caliber semi-automatic pistol from his vehicle. He first shot and killed Taylor outside the factory entrance before re-entering the building.
Once inside, Higdon continued his deadly assault, opening fire in the break room and on the factory floor. In addition to Kevin Taylor, four other employees lost their lives: Israel Monroy, 29; Joshua Hinojosa, 28; Rachel Vasquez, 26; and Trisha Mirelez, 25. Another employee was critically injured but survived. After carrying out the attack, Higdon then took his own life.
The investigation that followed confirmed that Wesley Neal Higdon was the sole perpetrator of the mass shooting. Police reports indicated that two hours prior to the incident, Higdon had called his girlfriend and told her he was going to kill his boss. As Higdon died by suicide at the scene, there were no arrests or trials in connection with this case. The community was left to mourn the senseless loss of life that occurred that day.
