Police said two women died in a Kentucky frenzy Sunday, a shooting that began with a state police officer injured after a traffic stop. The suspects in the two shootings were also killed.
Lexington Police Commissioner Lawrence Weathers said the suspect hijacked a vehicle after a traffic stop near Lexington Airport and fled to Richmond Road Baptist Church where the fire opened. The local coroner said the murders of a 72-year-old woman and a 32-year-old woman were killed in the church shooting.
The police chief said two others were injured in the church and were taken to a local hospital. Weathers said one victim was seriously injured and the other was in steady state.
He said the suspect was shot and killed by police and died at the scene and was not immediately identified as a family notice.
“Preliminary information indicates that the suspect may have connections with individuals in the church,” the police chief said in a press conference.
Weathers said the soldiers stopped the vehicle after receiving a “license plate reader alert” and fired at 11:30 a.m., adding that the soldiers were in stable condition.
Police have tracked the carjacking vehicle to the Baptist Church, about 26 kilometers away from the soldiers being shot, the police chief said.
Weathers said the shooting is still under investigation.
Fayette County Coroner Gary Ginn said the church was a small, closely linked congregation.
“Please pray for everyone affected by these meaningless violence, and let us thank the Lexington Police Department and the Kentucky Police for their quick response,” said Kentucky State Government Andy Beshear in a social media post.
State Attorney General Russell Coleman said his office detectives are ready to support local and state agencies. “Today, violence invaded the Lord’s house,” he said in a statement. “The attack on law enforcement and the people of Lexington’s faith shocked the entire Union.”
