Somerset —
A gun accident turned into a horrific family tragedy yesterday, as two brothers lost their lives.
Kyle Thacker, 24, and Kody Thacker, 19, were both pronounced dead at a home on Slate Branch Spur yesterday morning. Both were victims of gunshot wounds.
According to Lt. Det. Brett Whitaker of the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office, the two brothers were visiting the home of friends Josh Flynn and Chris Stigall, where they had spent the night, along with another friend, Bryan Blankenship.
Then yesterday morning just before 10 a.m., the tragedy unfolded.
“After examining the scene and interviewing those present in the home, we believe Kyle Thacker was asleep on a living room recliner while his brother, Kody Thacker, was on a nearby couch,” said Whitaker. “Kody apparently picked up a 12-gauge shotgun which accidentally discharged, striking Kyle in the head.
“After realizing he had shot his brother, Kody became distraught and turned the shotgun on himself, taking his own life,” Whitaker continued.
Whitaker did not say what the younger brother was doing with the shotgun when it went off. No one else in the residence was injured.
Whitaker said the sheriff’s office contacted the Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office in Frankfort. Because the cause of death is apparent, no autopsy has been scheduled, Whitaker said.
The Thacker brothers were lifelong residents of Pulaski County and Southwestern High School graduates.
“This incident appears to be a horrible family tragedy and no foul play is suspected,” Whitaker said.
He added the investigation by the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office and the Pulaski County Coroner’s Office is ongoing.
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