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Lexington Richmond Road Baptist Church shooting suspect identified; police release first details on victims
Lexington police revealed that they have identified the suspect who fired shots at the Blue Grass Airport before fleeing to the Richmond Road Baptist Church
Lexington police revealed that they have identified the suspect who fired shots at the Blue Grass Airport before fleeing to the Richmond Road Baptist Church on Sunday. Officers further added that two women have died following the incident in Kentucky.
The women, who were not identified, are aged 72 and 32, police said. The shooter, who is dead, has also been identified. But police did not release the name, explaining that their family has not been notified yet.
Authorities confirmed that the suspect fled to the church, where two men were shot and injured. The shooter had shot a state trooper near the Blue Grass Airport.
Lexington Police Chief Lawrence Weathers said the trooper pulled over a vehicle near the airport. After shooting the trooper, the suspect carjacked a vehicle and fled to the church, where they began shooting at people there.
The trooper was shot at 11:36 AM in Fayette County, where Lexington is located, state police said.
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Both men from the church were taken to the hospital. One of the victims is in critical condition, and the other is stable. The suspect was later killed by Lexington police.
Earlier in teh day, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear issued a statement, asking 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, platform formerly known as Twitter.
The Blue Grass Airport posted on X at 1 p.m. ET (1700 GMT) that there was a law enforcement investigation affecting a portion of an airport road, but that all flights and operations were now proceeding normally.
(With inputs from Reuters)
