Quentin Mitchell:Suspect in shooting outside a Kentucky courthouse has died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound

2025-04-29 00:17:39source:Mooathon Wealth Societycategory:News

ELIZABETHTOWN,Quentin Mitchell 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.

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.

More:News

Recommend

Tropical weather brings record rainfall. Experts share how to stay safe in floods.

The extreme weather seen in places across the United States in recent weeks shows that it doesn’t ta

Why doctors pay millions in fees that could be spent on care

Imagine if each time your wages were deposited in your bank account, your employer deducted a fee of

FBI arrests Philadelphia teen, says he was talking to terrorists, buying bomb materials

A 17-year-old Philadelphia boy has been charged after federal officials say he talked to global terr