Kentucky community struggles with family slaying

In the southeastern Kentucky community where the 16-year-old made such an impression on many, those who knew him struggled to come to terms with how the church-going ROTC student remembered as “everybody’s friend” ended up a suspect in the shooting deaths last week of his parents and sister.

“He stood out among all of our teenagers,” his pastor said.

His brief life ended a hail of gunfire with police after Hendrix allegedly ignored a traffic stop by a Maryland state trooper more than 600 miles from home.

The investigation into Hendrix’s background resulted in the discovery of the three bodies in Kentucky.

The motive has so far eluded authorities.

At Union College in Barbourville, Kentucky, where Sarah Hendrix was an associate professor of social work, officials said in a Facebook post that the community was heartbroken.

“We have lost a member of our family, ” the post said, “a wonderful educator, colleague, and friend.”

In Corbin, those who knew the family wonder whether there was something they missed.

“That was not the Jason we knew,” Mahan said. “There was no sign. Nothing at all. It sounds crazy to say that because people think that we had to see something, you had to know something. We knew nothing.”

CNN’s Kristina Sgueglia, Jason Carroll, Faith Karimi and Joe Sutton contributed to this report.

CNN