At 20 years old, Shane Miller was an old soul, but still young and adventurous at heart.
He was kind, but quiet. Laid-back and caring. Those were his trademark qualities, according to his sister Paris Miller.
“I want them to all know how loving and caring he was, how much he loved everybody close to him,” Paris Miller said.
It’s how the family of Shane Miller wants him to be remembered because his life was taken too soon, they say.
Shane Miller was one of four people killed in a mass shooting in Florence early Saturday. He was at the 21st birthday party of a close friend at a home on Ridgecrest Drive, a quiet neighborhood. It was the first mass shooting ever in the Northern Kentucky city of 32,000, according to Florence police.
Law enforcement identified the shooter as 21-year-old Chase Garvey. Police believe he turned the gun on himself shortly after the shooting and died at the hospital.
What we know: 4 killed, 3 injured at Northern Kentucky house party
Shane Miller’s story is much more than what happened on his last day, his sister said.
He and his siblings − Paris, 19; Brayden, 15; and Audrey, 6 − all grew up in the Northern Kentucky and Florence area. He attended Randall K. Cooper High School and has had longstanding friendships with those he met in his school days.
Many of those friends were at the party Saturday, the last time they would see him.
Shane Miller loved spending time in nature, his sister said. Fishing was his favorite hobby, and at 20 years old, he was still having adventures − a testament to his playful nature.
He is remembered as a devoted family member who remained loyal to his loved ones. He was very close with his mother, Renee, and his grandmother, Linda. He also adored his younger siblings and his girlfriend, Alaina.
Paris Miller also knew another of the four victims killed, Delaney Eary. She said Eary, 19, was an ex-girlfriend of the shooter, Garvey.
She and Eary also grew up and went to school together.
“She always had the brightest, biggest smile, just like Shane,” Paris Miller said.
And that’s how Paris Miller said she’ll remember her brother: for his kindness, warmth and his smile.
“He was a shy, quiet, beautiful soul,” she said. “A very old soul when you think about it.”
The family started a GoFundMe for Shane Miller’s funeral.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Sister mourns Shane Miller killed in Florence mass shooting