(WBIR) Now that Kenneth Bartley is a free man, Campbell County community members are weighing in on the verdict.
On Friday, a jury found Bartley guilty of reckless homicide in the 2005 Campbell County High School shooting that killed a vice principal and injured two other administrators.
Bartley was released on a $7,500 bond after more than eight years behind bars.
During the trial, there was a definite divide in the courtroom. But outside, the public has mixed reactions to the verdict. A lot of the people who spoke to 10News said they knew more than one of the families involved in the trial, which made it hard for them to not see both sides.
"As far as the trial goes, you have to go by what the judicial system is set up and what their decisions are. That's what you have to stand by and go with," said Benny Shown, a Campbell Co. resident.
Another Campbell Co. resident, Amy Vincent, followed the trial and said she learned new things about the shooting through the different testimonies. She knew Ken Bruce since she was in middle school.
Bartley was originally charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Bruce.
"Really I'm unsure about it, but all I know is that Bruce, he was a good man. He was a really good man and he's missed," Vincent said.
Corbin Phillips of Lake City expressed surprise over Bartley's bond, set at $7,500. According to Phillips, that is the same amount his bond was set at for a misdemeanor probation violation.
