On July 13, a serious shooting occurred in Lexington, Kentucky. A suspect shot and wounded a state police officer after he stopped the car, and then fled and broke into a church to commit crimes, killing two women and injuring two others. The police then shot the gunman on the spot.
At about 11:30 a.m. that day, a state police officer stopped a suspicious vehicle near the Lexington Airport due to an alarm on the license plate recognition system. Unexpectedly, he was shot by the suspect and the state police officer’s injuries were stable.
The suspect then hijacked a car and fled, and finally drove to the Richmond Road Baptist Church about 16 miles east of Lexington, and shot and committed crimes in the church.
The Lexington Police Department said that two women in the church died on the spot, aged 72 and 32 respectively. Two other people were sent to the hospital for treatment, one of whom was in critical condition and the other was in stable condition. The suspect was shot dead by the police and his identity has not yet been made public.
Police said preliminary information showed that the suspect may be related to some people in the church. The case is still under investigation. The suspect’s vehicle was intercepted at Lexington Airport about 16 miles away from the church where the crime occurred. After injuring the police officer, the suspect immediately hijacked another car and went directly to the church instead of hiding in a remote or inaccessible area.
Gary King, the medical examiner of Fayette County, where the church is located, said that the church is a small religious community with close members.
Governor Andy Beshear posted a message on the social platform to express condolences and thanked the police and state police for their quick response.
Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman said in a statement: “Today, violence broke into the temple of the Lord. This attack on law enforcement officers and faith communities shocked the entire state of Kentucky.”
