'Today, violence invaded the Lord's House': Community ripped apart in deadly shooting
Three responding officers shot the suspect, who was declared dead at the scene.
Moderated by Tomas Kauer 
Two women were killed in a shooting on Sunday (Monday AEST) at the Richmond Road Baptist Church in Lexington, Kentucky, after a man shot a state trooper near the city's airport, officials said.
Two men were also injured in the church shooting.
The shooting near the Blue Grass Airport unfolded around 11.35am local time, after the trooper pulled over a vehicle on Terminal Drive after receiving a license plate reader alert.
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The trooper was shot before the suspect fled the scene and carjacked a vehicle, ending up at Richmond Road Baptist Church about 24km away, Lexington Police Chief Lawrence Weathers said during a news conference on Sunday.
Preliminary information suggests the suspect may have had a connection to people at the church, Weathers said without elaborating.
The suspect then "fired his weapon at individuals on church property," he said.
Three responding officers shot the suspect, who was declared dead at the scene.
The shooter has been identified, but police did not release his name. The family of the shooter has not been notified, officials said.
The victims who were killed were identified as Christina Combs, 34, and Beverly Gumm, 72. The Fayette County Coroner had earlier identified Combs as being 32.
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The men who were injured in the shooting were transported to the hospital, Weathers said. One man is in critical condition, and the other is stable, he added.
The injured trooper is also in stable condition.
The first shooting wasn't connected to the airport, police said, though officials there said it impacted a portion of Terminal Drive.
"Our team is on site guiding passengers to open parking. All flights and operations are now continuing as usual," airport officials said on X.
Officials thank law enforcement, offer prayers for victims
In a statement, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear asked 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.
Other officials on Sunday offered their prayers for the victims.
"Praying for the Kentucky State Trooper injured today and all parishioners injured at Richmond Road Baptist Church," US Representative Andy Barr said on X.
"I'm monitoring this situation very closely and I'm grateful for the State Police and first responders involved in responding."
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"Today, violence invaded the Lord's House. The attack on law enforcement and people of faith in Lexington shocked the entire Commonwealth," Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman said in a statement.
In his own statement on X, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul said he was "saddened to hear about the tragic shootings."
"We are grateful for the brave first responders. Violence like this has no place in Kentucky," the senator said.
'A very tight-knit group'
The church was described as small and its congregants are largely related to one another, Fayette County Coroner Gary Ginn said during the news conference.
"It's a very tight-knit group of people at the Richmond Baptist Church," Ginn said, adding he was able to notify family members of the deaths right away.
The church is located in a rural area of Lexington called the Old Richmond Road Corridor. It's not far from a horse riding school and an alpaca breeder.
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Its website describes it as an "independent, landmark, sovereign grace, missionary New Testament Baptist Church."
More than 800 of the pastor's sermons are available on the church's website.
A sermon at the church was livestreamed on Facebook around the time of the shooting.
The church pastor, Jerry Gumm, had mentioned death about 10 times in the sermon.
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