ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. — The man responsible for killing two people and injuring a third during a shooting Monday, Aug. 19 in the parking lot of the Hardin County courthouse, is dead. Christopher Elder shot himself after a chase with police and died at Vanderbilt University Hospital in Tennessee Monday night.

Police identified 46-year-old Elder as the suspect and said it was a domestic violence incident as he was dating one victim who was killed, 37-year-old Elizabethtown resident Erica Riley. Riley’s mother, 71-year-old Janet Riley of Hardinsburg, also died in the hospital after sustaining injuries.

A third victim, who is a man and related to both Erica and Janet, is hospitalized but in stable condition, EPD said. 

The pursuit of Elder ended after he shot himself, according to the Hopkinsville Police Department. Kentucky State Police, the HPD, Christian County Sheriff’s Office and Muhlenberg County Sheriff’s Office were involved in a car chase with Elder, who police said pointed a rifle at officers multiple times.

Elder fled into a church parking lot, pointing the rifle at himself and officers. According to HPD, negotiators were speaking with him for approximately 90 minutes before he attempted to take his own life. He was flown to Vanderbilt.

Sen. Matt Deneen, R-Elizabethtown, offered his condolences and commended law enforcement for their response.

“I extend my deepest prayers to the surviving family members of the victims involved in the tragic shooting this morning at the Hardin County Justice Center,” Deneen said in a statement. “This senseless act was perpetrated by a single individual, but through collaboration with multiple law enforcement agencies, he was ultimately apprehended. I sincerely thank our law enforcement professionals for their responsiveness and dedication to handling this emerging situation.” 

Area schools were placed on a “soft lockdown” earlier Monday morning. It was lifted around 10:30 a.m.

According to Elizabethtown Independent Schools, “a soft lockdown means there is no immediate threat to students or staff, however there is a threat or concern in the area.”

John Wright, a spokesperson for Hardin County Public Schools, said EPD asked them to place some of their schools in a soft lockdown at around 9:15 a.m. The following schools were placed in lockdown:

• Central Hardin High School

• Bruin Academy (CHHS Freshman Center)

• East Hardin Middle

• G.C. Burkhead Elementary

• Lincoln Trail Elementary

• College View Campus

• HCS Early College and Career Center

Wright said instruction continued at the schools during the lockdown, but no one could enter or exit the building. 

“At approximately 10:30 a.m., Elizabethtown Police advised that the individual for whom police were searching had left the area. Technology, cameras and other police investigative means indicated that. Therefore, the soft lockdown was called,” he explained.

Hopkinsville police said the Kentucky State Police will handle the investigation. KSP and the Louisville Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms assisted local law enforcement in the search for Elder. 

This is a developing story. We will add more details when they become available.