OAK GROVE, Ky. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – The fiance of a soldier killed in a shooting in Oak Grove, Ky. Feb. 2 reached out to ClarksvilleNow.com to share her side of the story.
Spc. Priscilla Ann East, 32, and Spc. Christopher Ryan Hoch, 28, Oak Grove, Ky. were killed in the shooting. Both were soldiers at Fort Campbell.
East’s estranged husband, 32-year-old Jeremy Demar, was arrested shortly after the incident and charged with the murder of both individuals.
Dominique House, who is also an active duty soldier at Fort Campbell, told ClarksvilleNow.com she wants to set the record straight about the relationship between East and Hoch.
House said she was Hoch’s fiance. She, Hoch, and her 16-year-old brother had been living in the home where the shooting occurred.
House and East had met each other through the military and were best friends. House said East was visiting her home the day of the shooting, which was something she did whenever she felt unsafe because of her estranged husband.
“I just want nobody to think that Chris and Priscilla were together, because they weren’t,” House said. “A lot of people were saying that they got what they deserve because she was sneaking behind her husband’s back, and that’s not the story at all.”
House was in the residence at the time of the shooting, which was confirmed by Kentucky State Police spokesman Trooper Mark Wint.
House said her collarbone was broken during the struggle with Demar. Her 16-year-old brother was also injured.
After reading social media comments that speculated about a cheating scandal, House wanted to let the public know East and Hoch were not in a relationship. She said they only knew each other through her.
“Neither of them deserved this. I love them both and there’s not a bad thing I could say about either of them,” she said.
A celebration of life for Priscilla East was scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 9 at the chapel of McReynolds-Nave & Larson Funeral Home in Clarksville. East will be laid to rest with full military honors at Houston National Cemetery, Houston, Texas.
Services for Hoch have not yet been announced.