Updated: Two dead, one injured in shooting outside Kentucky courthouse
Two people were killed and another was injured Monday morning when a man opened fire in the parking lot of the Hardin County Justice Center, according to Elizabethtown police.
The shooting was targeted and related to a domestic dispute, police said. One of the victims who died, 37-year-old Erica Riley, was the suspect’s girlfriend, and the other was her 71-year-old mother, Janet Riley. The third victim was also a relative of Riley’s and is stable, police said.
Court records show Riley was seeking a restraining order against the suspect, 46-year-old Christopher Elder, and the shooting happened just before a scheduled hearing in the case.
Police in Western Kentucky tracked Elder down Monday afternoon. He shot himself after a car chase and later died.
In a news conference streamed by WAVE 3 news station on Facebook, Elizabethtown Police Chief Jeremy Thompson said the shooting happened just before 9 a.m. Police received multiple calls about a shooting at the courthouse in the 100 block of East Dixie Avenue, and when officers arrived they found three victims.
The shooting happened by a dumpster in the back lot of the parking lot across the street from the courthouse. Thompson called it an “ambush-style assault.”
Witnesses told the Herald-Leader that Elder was circling the area before the shots rang out.
Several area schools went on soft lockdown and officials urged nearby residents to stay in their homes while Elder was at-large, but most of the orders were lifted by Monday afternoon.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear also acknowledged the shooting in a post on X.
“Please join Britainy and me in praying for everyone affected by this senseless act of violence,” Beshear wrote.
Court documents: Suspect abused victim for months
Riley filed for a restraining order against Elder on Aug. 8 and accused him of abusing her over the past 18 months. In one incident, she said, he hit her in the jaw and head multiple times, according to court documents.
Though the case had a hearing scheduled for Monday, court documents show it was going to be rescheduled to next week.
“There was a hearing at the courthouse this morning stemming from previous incidents, and we believe it was isolated to the individuals that were involved,” said Thompson, the Elizabethtown police chief.
Elder has one previous domestic violence case on his record. In 2006 he was charged with fourth-degree assault — domestic violence and second-degree unlawful imprisonment, according to court records. He pleaded guilty to the assault charge, and the unlawful imprisonment charge was dismissed.
Police chase, standoff
Thompson said detectives identified Elder as the suspect within minutes of the shooting. They determined he fled Hardin County, and he was eventually found by officers in Western Kentucky.
A police chase ensued, and Elder pointed a rifle at officers multiple times during the chase, according to Hopkinsville police. The chase ended at Judges Chapel at Greenville and Judges Chapel roads, where negotiators attempted for about 90 minutes to talk Elder into putting the rifle down.
Elder eventually shot himself in the head. He was flown to Vanderbilt Hospital in Tennessee, and police announced Tuesday he had died.
This story was originally published August 19, 2024 at 10:21 AM.
