In a southeastern Kentucky community, sixteen-year-old Jason Hendrix made such an impression on many. Those who knew him struggled to come to terms with how the pastor’s son, church going, ROTC student remembered as “everybody’s friend” ended up a suspect in the shooting deaths last week of his parents and sister. “Everybody that knows Jason — it has been amazing to hear what they thought about him,” pastor Drew Mahan said Tuesday. “He was strong in his faith. … When you think of our church, you think of guys like Jason. He stood out among all of our teenagers,” Mahan said.

His short life ended in a hail of gunfire with police after Hendrix supposedly ignored a traffic stop by a Maryland state trooper more than 600 miles from his home. A car chase ensued, and police cornered him after he struck another vehicle at an intersection in Woodlawn, Maryland, forcing him to stop. “As officers approached the car, gunfire came from the vehicle, striking an officer,” police said. “Officers then returned fire towards the vehicle.” Hendrix, who was alone in the car, was shot to death. The officer injured in the shootout was treated at a local hospital and was released. Baltimore County detectives traced the suspect’s car registration to an address in Corbin, Kentucky. Their law enforcement counterparts in Kentucky went to the address and found the bodies of Kevin and Sarah Hendrix and their daughter. Police Chief David Campbell told the Lexington newspaper that all three victims had been shot in the head at least twice. “A pillow was used to try to muffle the gunshot used on all three individuals,” he said. “The pillows were still on their faces.”

Pastor Mahan said he believes that his parents, following an argument with him, grounded Hendrix. They cut off Jason’s cellphone and computer use, he said. A newspaper reported that the dispute was over computer use. Investigators are looking at the computer dispute as a possible motive, and are trying to piece together the sequence of events, police said. Mahan said “all signs” indicate that Hendrix supposedly killed his family before attending a youth meeting at the church last Wednesday night. Authorities also believe the shootings occurred Wednesday evening. Police said they had never been called to the home before. “We are all racking our brains,” Mahan said, adding that Hendrix “gave zero indication” that anything was amiss that night. “He was just the normal Jason that everybody knew.”