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- Two additional individuals were injured in the church shooting.
- The suspect initially shot a Kentucky state trooper.
- Police responded by shooting the suspect during return fire.
On Sunday, a gunman opened fire at a Kentucky church, resulting in the deaths of two women and injuring a state trooper outside an airport. Authorities confirmed that the assailant was ultimately shot dead by police.
The incident occurred at Richmond Road Baptist Church in Lexington. Two men were also wounded during the incident, with one listed in critical condition, according to Lexington Police Chief Lawrence Weathers at an afternoon briefing.
Authorities have not disclosed the suspect’s identity or age.
“Days like today are incredibly tough,” Weathers stated. “Sometimes things happen, and we cannot fully understand why.”
According to Weathers, the suspect fired at a trooper after being pulled over near Blue Grass Airport around 11:30 AM in Fayette County. The shooting took place on a road that surrounds the airport but was unrelated to airport operations, according to police.
The trooper was hospitalized and is reported to be in stable condition.
Following the shooting of the trooper, the suspect hijacked a vehicle about 10 miles from the airport and fled to Richmond Road Baptist Church, where they began shooting at several individuals.
Police were able to track the hijacked vehicle to the church.
While the police chief did not provide a motive for the shooting, he mentioned that there were indications the suspect might have known some of the churchgoers.
Weathers indicated that Lexington police would perform an internal evaluation of the shooting, as dictated by department policy.
At 1 PM ET, Blue Grass Airport announced on social media that a law enforcement investigation was impacting a portion of an airport road, but confirmed that all flights and operations were proceeding normally.
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