In the late summer of 1989, a tragedy unfolded in Louisville, Kentucky, that would leave a lasting scar on the community. Kenneth Fentress, a 45-year-old White male, found himself a victim of a horrific act of violence that ultimately claimed his life. The events transpired on September 14, 1989, at the Standard Gravure printing plant where a former employee, Joseph T.
Wesbecker, unleashed a torrent of gunfire on his onetime colleagues.
Fentress was grievously wounded during the onslaught, struck four times by bullets from an AK-47 in his stomach, arm, and leg. He was rushed to Humana Hospital-University, where medical staff fought tirelessly to save him, performing three separate operations. Despite their valiant efforts, the injuries proved too severe. Kenneth Fentress succumbed to his wounds on September 18, 1989, four days after the shooting, becoming the ninth fatality in the massacre.
The perpetrator of this senseless violence was 47-year-old Joseph T. Wesbecker. A former pressman at the plant, Wesbecker had a history of mental illness and was on disability leave at the time of the attack. After his rampage through the facility, which left eight dead and many more injured, Wesbecker took his own life at the scene. Consequently, no arrests were made in connection with the shooting as the sole suspect was deceased.
