A mother and daughter are dead after a shooting Monday morning outside the judicial center in Hardin County.
Thirty-seven-year-old Erica Riley of Elizabethtown was pronounced dead in the parking lot just after 9:00 a.m.
Elizabethtown Police Chief Jeremy Thompson says Riley had gone to a court hearing with 46-year-old Christopher Elder.
“It’s our understanding, the preliminary investigation, is that the victim killed was dating our suspect," Thompson said in a news conference.
Riley was seeking a restraining order against Elder, according to court records cited by the Herald-Leader. Elder had a previous domestic violence case on his record from 2006.
Following a vehicle pursuit into western Kentucky, Elder engaged in a standoff with police in Hopkinsville before shooting himself in the head. He was flown to Vanderbilt Hospital in Tennessee in critical condition.
The domestic dispute also took the life of Riley’s mother, 71-year-old Janet Riley of Hardinsburg. A third victim, another family member, was also shot. His identity and condition haven’t been released.
Schools in the area went on lock down until police determined the shooting was isolated.
