Nicole Marie Hadley was 14 and a freshman at Heath High School when she was critically wounded during a morning prayer circle on December 1, 1997, in West Paducah, Kentucky. A fellow 14-year-old student, Michael Carneal, opened fire with a .22-caliber pistol concealed in his backpack, firing ten rounds and striking eight students. Nicole was kept alive until 10:00 PM that evening but ultimately succumbed to her injuries.

Three students died in the attack, including Nicole, and five others were wounded but survived. Nicole’s family donated her organs, which saved multiple lives. Carneal surrendered to the principal at the scene, was charged with three counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder, was found competent to stand trial amid defense claims of severe mental illness including paranoid schizophrenia, and in December 1998 was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after 25 years.

If anyone knew Nicole, her family, or was at Heath High School that morning, please share what you remember that could add to the record.