Cops: Man Who Killed 2 Outside Courthouse Is Dead

UPDATE Aug 20, 2024 7:42 PM CDT

Police say the man who killed his ex-girlfriend and her mother outside a courthouse in Kentucky on Monday has died. The Elizabethtown Police Department said in a statement that Christopher Elder, who shot himself after a police chase and standoff, was airlifted to a hospital in Nashville and died from his injuries Monday night. Police say Elder, 46, fatally shot 37-year-old Erica Riley and her mother, 71-year-old Janet Riley, before a hearing on a restraining order. According to court documents, Erica Riley sought the order on Aug. 8, saying Elder had abused her over the previous 18 months, the Lexington Herald-Leader reports.

Aug 19, 2024 5:55 PM CDT

A suspect fatally shot a woman he had been in a relationship with and her mother near a Kentucky courthouse Monday morning, police say. The Elizabethtown Police Department says the suspect, 46-year-old Christopher Elder, fled the scene and shot himself during a standoff with police more than 100 miles away, in the far west of the state, WLKY reports. The victims were identified as 37-year-old Erica Riley and her mother, 71-year-old Janet Riley. Police said Elder shot himself in the head while he was talking to police negotiators and is in critical condition.

Police said a male relative of Riley's was injured in the "ambush-style" shooting and is in stable condition. ABC News reports that the shooting across the street from the Hardin County Justice Center occurred before a hearing on an emergency protective order. Police described the shooting as an isolated, "domestic-related" incident. "It's just terrible, it's a tragedy," said Elizabethtown Mayor Jeff Gregory, a former state trooper. "Domestic situations are never predictable. They often end in horrible situations like this. Unfortunately, that happened in downtown Elizabethtown today." (More Kentucky stories.)