ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (AP) — A man accused of fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend and her mother outside a Kentucky courthouse has died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after leading police on a highway pursuit that ended in a church parking lot, authorities said Tuesday.
The suspect, Christopher Elder, 46, died Monday evening at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, where he was airlifted earlier in the day.
Elder was accused of opening fire Monday morning in a parking lot outside the Hardin County Justice Center in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. Killed were Erica Riley, 37, and her mother, 71-year-old Janet Riley. A third victim, a man who has not been identified but is related to both women, is hospitalized in stable condition, police said. They had shown up for a court hearing regarding a protective order against Elder.
Responding to the shooting, Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman said Tuesday that his office will work with state policymakers to look for ways to prevent such tragedies from happening again.
“Domestic violence is a serious problem we cannot — and we will not — ignore," Coleman said in a statement. “The Attorney General’s Office is consistently working with policymakers, prosecutors, advocates and law enforcement to protect victims.â€
The shooting set off an intense manhunt for the suspect. Elder’s vehicle was located on a highway by authorities in western Kentucky, and the suspect at times pointed a rifle at officers during the pursuit, Hopkinsville police said on social media.
Elder fled into a church parking lot in the Fruit Hill community in Christian County, Kentucky, where he pointed the weapon at himself and officers, police said. During the standoff, police negotiators spoke with Elder for about 90 minutes before the suspect shot himself in the head, police said.
Elizabethtown is about 45 miles (72.4 kilometers) south of Louisville, and the Fruit Hill community is about 108 miles (173.8 kilometers) southwest of Elizabethtown.
