Two churchgoers have been killed and a state trooper seriously wounded in two shootouts during a gunman’s rampage.
A morning of terror began when the shooter opened fire outside Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky, about 10.40am on Sunday.
The trooper was shot when he pulled over the gunman on Terminal Drive after the car was pinged by a license plate reader on a nearby traffic camera.
The shooter then carjacked another vehicle and fled 16 miles to Richmond Road Baptist Church, where he was cornered by pursuing cops, police said.
Lexington Police Chief Lawrence Weathers said the gunman, who may have a connection to the congregation, fired on worshippers inside the Baptist church.
Beverly Gumm, 72, and Christina Combs, 32, were shot dead as they tried to escape, and two men were wounded and rushed to the hospital, one in critical condition.
Three Lexington Police Department officers opened fire on the gunman and killed him, Chief Weathers said. He has been identified but his family is yet to be notified.
The wounded deputy was taken to a nearby hospital with serious injuries but is in a stable condition, the Lexington Fire Department said.
We were the first to the scene after the shooting, barely escaping a head-on crash from the shooter while he drove out of the airport the wrong way,’ airport shooting witness Gena Roland said.
‘The trooper was thankfully awake and coherent when the ambulance arrived, albeit in a lot of pain.
‘It was intense. There were many good Samaritans that stopped and ran to the trooper. I think we had five of us down there before the cops and paramedics arrived on scene.’
Other locals wrote online that they saw dozens of police and other emergency vehicles rushing to the airport.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear announced the deaths of the two churchgoers shortly before a 4.30pm press conference identified them.
‘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.
Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton also offered her prayers for the victims’ families.
‘Like so many communities across the country, today our community has experienced a mass shooting, resulting in multiple deaths and injuries. A state police trooper has also been injured,’ she said.
‘Our police have a strong partnership with state police. The agencies will work together to fully investigate this tragedy.’
Part of the airport drive was shut down as local police investigated, but flights and airport operations soon returned to normal.
A blue Nissan, believed to be the shooter’s car, was taped off by police as part of the investigation.
Three other people were wounded in a third shooting at 3.49am on Sunday on the other side of town to the airport.
A woman suffered life-threatening injuries when she was hit Winchester Road, near the intersection with Liberty Road. Two men were wounded and drove themselves to hospital.
Whether the earlier shooting had any connection to the airport and church rampage is unknown.
