Two women were killed and three other people, including a state trooper, were wounded after a pair of shootings that ended at a church in Kentucky on Sunday, the authorities said.
Chief Lawrence Weathers of the Lexington Police Department said preliminary information showed that the shooter may have had an unspecified connection to people at the church, the Richmond Road Baptist Church, in Lexington, Ky.
“Days like today are extremely difficult,” the chief said at a news conference on Sunday. He added, “Sometimes things happen, you just don’t have a reason why.”
Officials said two women, one 72 years old and the other 32, were fatally shot on the church grounds. Two men were also shot. One of them was in critical condition and the other was in stable condition, the chief said.
The shooter was fatally shot by officers of the Lexington Police Department at the church, the chief said. Three officers opened fire, he said, adding that the shooter was pronounced dead at the scene.
Lexington police were dispatched to a report of a shooting at 11:36 a.m. involving a Kentucky state trooper, Chief Weathers said.
The trooper was shot after pulling over a vehicle on Terminal Drive near the Blue Grass Airport after receiving an unspecified alert on a license plate reader, the chief said.
The driver fled Terminal Drive, carjacked another vehicle and then fled the area.
Officers were able to track the stolen vehicle to the Richmond Road Baptist Church on Old Richmond Road about 16 miles away from Terminal Drive. The shooter opened fire on people on the church property, Chief Weathers said.
The first shooting at Terminal Road was unrelated to the Blue Grass Airport and did not happen inside its terminal, the chief said. No injuries were reported during the carjacking, he said.
Gary W. Ginn, coroner of Fayette County, described the church as a small and tightknit community.
“The majority of the individuals that attend the church there are related biologically, some way or another,” Mr. Ginn said. “If not, they’ve been friends for many, many years.”
Efforts to reach a representative of the church on Sunday were unsuccessful.
Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky said on social media he was “heartbroken” and praying for the victims’ families.
“Kentucky, let’s stand strong together and support our Lexington neighbors during this difficult time,” he said.
Kasey Darling, general manager of Boonedogs Bar and Restaurant, which is near the church, said there was a heavy police presence in the area on Sunday afternoon.
“One employee had told me that they heard some shooting when it was all happening,” said Mr. Darling, who described the area as rural with a lot of farmland.
Ginny Whitehouse contributed reporting.
Johnny Diaz is a reporter for The Times covering breaking news from Miami.
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