OAN Staff Blake Wolf
2:32 PM – Sunday, July 13, 2025
A gunman was killed by Lexington police officers after the suspect shot a Kentucky state trooper and fled to a nearby church where he killed two individuals on church property and injured two more.
The incident took place at around 11:30 a.m. local time when the suspect shot a state trooper and fled the scene.
The suspect then “car jacked a vehicle” before driving to Richmond Road Baptist Church where the gunman opened fire on churchgoers, killing two women and injuring two men, according to Lexington Chief of Police Lawrence Weathers during a Sunday press briefing.
“On July 13th, 2025, at around 11:36 a.m., Lexington Police Officers were dispatched for a shooting involving a Kentucky state trooper on Terminal Drive. The trooper had pulled over a vehicle on Terminal Drive after receiving a license plate reader alert in the area of Versailles Road. The trooper was shot and the suspect fled,” Chief Weathers stated, going on to state that the incident was unrelated to another shooting that took place at the Blue Grass Airport.
Chief Weathers revealed that the state trooper is “in stable condition and receiving medical treatment.”
“With the assistants of the department’s air support unit and real time intelligence center, officers were able to track the vehicle to the Richmond Road Baptist Church in the 5800 block of Old Richmond Road. The suspect fired his weapon at individuals on church property.”
Chief Weathers ]went on to reveal that “preliminary information” indicates that the suspect “may have had a connection to the individuals at the church,” without providing further context.
“Four individuals were shot on church property, two female victims were pronounced deceased at the scene, the other two victims, both male, were transported to a local hospital. One victim was reported to have sustained critical injuries and the other was reported in stable condition. The suspect was shot by responding law enforcement and was pronounced deceased at the scene,” Chief Weathers added.
Meanwhile, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear responded to the shootings, outright denouncing the “senseless acts of violence.”
“I’m heartbroken to share the shooting in Lexington at Richmond Road Baptist Church has taken the lives of two people. Other injuries – including a Kentucky State Police trooper from the initial stop — are being treated at a nearby hospital,” he wrote. “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.”
Weathers added that the suspect’s information will be publicly released shortly after law enforcement notifies the individual’s family.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts