A church in Kentucky became a chilling crime scene on Sunday when two female attendees were fatally shot and two others injured by an armed man who opened fire on churchgoers. The shooting rampage began at an airport in Lexington when a Kentucky State Police trooper pulled over the suspect during a traffic stop.
Reports say the trooper received a license plate reader alert, prompting him to stop the suspect on a terminal road at Blue Grass Airport at 11:36 a.m. However, the situation escalated when the gunman reportedly opened fire at the trooper, injuring the officer, according to Police Chief Lawrence Weathers.
Following the airport shooting, the gunman reportedly carjacked a vehicle and made his way to Richmond Road Baptist Church, around 16 miles away, where he launched another attack. Four people were shot on church property. Two women, 72-year-old Beverly Gumm and 32-year-old Christina Combs, were pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities later confirmed that Gumm was the wife of the church’s pastor and the mother of Combs. The remaining victims, both men, were transported to a local hospital. One of the injured men is currently in critical condition, while the other’s condition is stable. The trooper, who was shot at the airport, was also reported to be in a stable condition.
Police say the gunman, whose name has not been publicly released, was shot and killed at the church by law enforcement officers who had been pursuing him. According to the police chief, preliminary information indicates that the suspect may have had a personal connection to the victims at the church. However, officials have not yet established the shooter’s motive.
Despite the airport being part of the initial scene, Chief Weathers clarified that the incident was not connected to airport operations. Roadways and terminals were temporarily shut down as a safety measure, but have since reopened. Officials from multiple agencies, including the FBI and ATF, are working together on the investigation.