Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Officials: Man fatally shot 2 women, self in Iowa church lot

Share
AMES, Iowa -

Authorities planned to release more details Friday about a shooting outside an Iowa church in which a man fatally shot two women before apparently killing himself.

The shooting happened just before 7 p.m. Thursday in the parking lot of the Cornerstone Church, a megachurch on the outskirts of Ames. Sheriff's Capt. Nicholas Lennie declined early Friday to give the ages and names of those killed, but confirmed that they were adults.

The shooter appeared to have shot himself after shooting the women, but details would not be released until a planned news conference outside the church, Lennie said. The church is located near Interstate 35, about 30 miles (48 kilometres) north of Des Moines.

Cornerstone Church released a statement confirming that the women killed were "young members of our community," but did not give other details about the victims or shooter, citing the ongoing police investigation.

"Our hearts break for all involved, and we are praying for everyone affected, especially the family of the victims," the church said in the statement. The church also planned to hold a prayer service for the victims Friday.

The shooting follows mass shootings across the nation in recent weeks that have roiled the country. Those include last week's shooting by an 18-year-old gunman, who killed 19 students and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, and an attack Wednesday in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where a gunman killed his surgeon and three other people at a Tulsa medical office.

On May 14 in Buffalo, New York, a white man carried out what officials say was a racially-motivated attack on a supermarket in a predominantly Black neighborhood, killing 10 people. 

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

A team of tornado experts are investigating a path of damage through Wellington County.

Timmins-James Bay MP Charlie Angus was among approximately 120 people who gathered Sunday night for a candlelight vigil near the scene of a vicious attack against a 16-year-old in Cobalt.

A B.C. teen has a suspected case of H5N1 avian flu — the first known human to acquire the virus in Canada.

Local Spotlight

For the second year in a row, the ‘Gift-a-Family’ campaign is hoping to make the holidays happier for children and families in need throughout Barrie.

Some of the most prolific photographers behind CTV Skywatch Pics of the Day use the medium for fun, therapy, and connection.

A young family from Codroy Valley, N.L., is happy to be on land and resting with their newborn daughter, Miley, after an overwhelming, yet exciting experience at sea.

As Connor Nijsse prepared to remove some old drywall during his garage renovation, he feared the worst.

A group of women in Chester, N.S., has been busy on the weekends making quilts – not for themselves, but for those in need.

A Vancouver artist whose streetside singing led to a chance encounter with one of the world's biggest musicians is encouraging aspiring performers to try their hand at busking.

Ten-thousand hand-knit poppies were taken from the Sanctuary Arts Centre and displayed on the fence surrounding the Dartmouth Cenotaph on Monday.

A Vancouver man is saying goodbye to his nine-to-five and embarking on a road trip from the Canadian Arctic to Antarctica.