ELIZABETHTOWN, KY – A shooting incident took place outside a courthouse in Kentucky. The devastating incident left one person dead and two others injured by the gunfire. The suspect, identified as 46-year-old Christopher Elder, is currently in negotiations with the police.
Police Chief Jeremy Thompson of the Elizabethtown Police Department reported that the victim and the suspect had attended a court hearing at the Hardin County courthouse prior to the shooting taking place. According to Thompson, the two individuals were previously in a relationship.
The shooting broke out in the courthouse parking lot. This was followed by Elder fleeing from the scene of the crime. His vehicle was located on a highway by Western Kentucky police, leading to a pursuit and eventual stop. As of the media briefing given around noon EST, police negotiators were in communication with Elder, who remained in his car.
The victims, two women and a man, were all shot during the incident. The deceased victim has not yet been identified, while the two survivors, kin to the deceased, have been hospitalized.
Following the shooting, nearby schools were briefly placed under a “soft lockdown” until law enforcement confirmed the incident was isolated.