In a shocking incident in the United States, a gunman opened fire at a church in Kentucky on Sunday, killing two women and later shooting and injuring a state trooper near an airport, before being gunned down by the police.
The women were killed at the Richmond Road Baptist Church in Lexington. Two men were also wounded there, including one who was in critical condition, Lexington Police Chief Lawrence Weathers told an afternoon press conference.
Authorities did not provide the suspect’s name or age.
‘Extremely Difficult’ Day
“There are days like today that are extremely difficult,” Weathers said. “Sometimes things happen, you just don’t have a reason why.”
The suspect fired at the trooper after being pulled over near Blue Grass Airport at about 11:30 a.m. in Fayette County, Weathers said. The shooting happened on a road that rings the airport but was not connected to its operations, police said.
The trooper was being treated at a nearby hospital and was in stable condition.
The suspect then carjacked a vehicle about 10 miles (16 km) from the airport and fled to Richmond Road Baptist Church, where the individual began firing at people on the church grounds.
Police tracked the location of the carjacked vehicle to the church.
No Motive Behind Shooting
The police chief did not offer any motive for the shootings, but said there was some indication that the suspect may have known some of the people at the church.
Weathers said Lexington police would conduct an internal review of the shooting, as required by department policies.
The Blue Grass Airport informed the public through a post on X at 1 p.m. ET (1700 GMT) that a law enforcement investigation was underway, affecting a section of the airport road. However, the airport authorities reassured passengers that all flights and regular operations were continuing without any disruption.
(With inputs from Reuters)
