A 72-year-old woman and a 32-year-old woman were killed in a shooting Sunday at the Richmond Road Baptist Church in Lexington, Kentucky, officials said.
The shooter, who is dead, has also been identified, but police did not release his name. The family of the shooter has not been notified, officials said.
The suspect fled to the church, where two men were also shot and injured, after shooting a state trooper near the Blue Grass Airport, police said.
The incident at the airport unfolded around 11:35 a.m. ET. The trooper pulled over a vehicle on Terminal Drive near the airport after receiving a license plate reader alert and was shot.
The suspect carjacked a vehicle and fled the scene before ending up at Richmond Road Baptist Church about 15 miles away, Lexington Police Chief Lawrence Weathers said during a news conference Sunday.
The suspect “fired his weapon at individuals on church property,” Weathers said.
Preliminary information suggests the suspect may have had a connection to people at the church, Weathers said without elaborating.
Both men who were injured in the shooting were transported to the hospital, Weathers said. One man is in critical condition, and the other is stable, he added.
The suspect was shot by three responding officers and was declared dead at the scene.
The injured trooper is in stable condition, Weathers said.
The first shooting wasn’t connected to the airport, police said, though officials there said it impacted a portion of Terminal Drive. “Our team is on site guiding passengers to open parking. All flights and operations are now continuing as usual,” airport officials said on X.
In a statement, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear asked residents to thank law enforcement for their response to the incidents.
“Please pray for everyone affected by these senseless acts of violence, and let’s give thanks for the swift response by the Lexington Police Department and Kentucky State Police,” he said in a post on X.
Officials on Sunday offered their prayers for the hurt trooper.
“Praying for the Kentucky State Trooper injured today and all parishioners injured at Richmond Road Baptist Church,” Rep. Andy Barr said on X. “I’m monitoring this situation very closely and I’m grateful for the State Police and first responders involved in responding.”
“Today, violence invaded the Lord’s House. The attack on law enforcement and people of faith in Lexington shocked the entire Commonwealth,” Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman said in a statement.
In his own statement on X, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul said he was “saddened to hear about the tragic shootings.”
“We are grateful for the brave first responders. Violence like this has no place in Kentucky.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
