Two women were shot and killed at a Kentucky church by a suspect who fled there after allegedly shooting a state trooper elsewhere, according to officials.
A suspect allegedly shot a Kentucky State Police trooper near the Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, KY, and then fled to a church, where the suspect shot four people before police shot and killed the suspect, officials said at a Lexington Police Department press conference late Sunday afternoon.
Two of the churchgoers, both women, were killed, officials said. The other two victims, both male, were taken to the hospital for treatment. One of them is in critical condition while the other is stable, according to officials.
“Something like this has a huge impact on our community,” Lexington Police Chief Lawrence Weathers said during the press conference.
The incident occurred at approximately 11:36 a.m. on Sunday when a suspect “shot a trooper and then fled the scene,” Kentucky State Police said in a statement.
The suspect shot the trooper on Terminal Drive, adjacent to the Blue Grass Airport, then fled to the Richmond Road Baptist church, according to the Lexington Police Department.
The gunman was able to escape by carjacking a vehicle, police said during the press conference.
Officers were able to track the suspect’s vehicle, leading them to the church, where the suspect shot four individuals. The two women — a 72-year-old and a 32-year-old — were pronounced dead at the scene, and the two men were transported to the hospital.
The trooper wounded in the shooting is also receiving medical attention, according to the agencies, with the Lexington Police Department statement saying that the trooper “is in stable condition.”
The suspect was shot by responding law enforcement and was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said. The identity of the shooter will be provided once the suspect’s family has been notified, police said.
Officials said they believe that the suspect had a connection to individuals at the church. The motive behind the shooting remains unclear.
A official briefed on the investigation told ABC News that the suspect had a history of mental health, drug and anger issues. He had had a domestic situation with an ex-girlfriend who then filed protection orders against him, the official said.
Coroner Gary Ginn said the majority of the people at the church were related biologically or “have been friends for many years.”
“It’s a tight-knit group of people,” Ginn said during the press conference.
Lexington police said in an earlier statement that officers had “temporarily closed some roads nearby” the incident and that authorities will “remain in the area until the investigation is complete.”
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said in a statement that he is “heartbroken” regarding the news of the two deaths.
“Violence like this has no place in our commonwealth or country. Kentucky, let’s stand strong together and support our Lexington neighbors during this difficult time,” Beshear said in a post shared on X.
Police said they will provide more information on the incident “as it becomes available.”