By Julia Huffman and Alena Noakes
Published: Aug. 19, 2024 at 9:38 AM EDT|Updated: Aug. 20, 2024 at 5:12 PM EDT
HARDIN COUNTY, Ky. (WAVE) - The man accused of shooting and killing his girlfriend and her mother, and injuring another person Monday morning in Elizabethtown, has died after police said he shot himself during a standoff.
The shooting happened in the parking lot across from the Hardin Judicial Center in the 100 block of East Dixie Avenue. Erica Riley, 37, of Elizabethtown died at the scene before she could be taken to the hospital. Elizabethtown Police Chief Jeremy Thompson said Riley and the suspect, 46-year-old Christopher Elder, were in a relationship.
Riley’s 71-year-old mother Janet Riley died from her injuries at the hospital. A third person, who police said is also related to Erica Riley, was hospitalized for their injuries. His condition is not known at this time.
WAVE News spoke to Rebecca Duvall, who had a court hearing this morning when she heard seven to 12 gunshots. She said at first she couldn’t believe someone would be shooting near the courthouse at this time of day until she saw the bodies on the ground.
“You never know what someone is going through mentally, to just, in broad daylight, kill someone else, you know? It’s just sad,” Duvall said. “It’s sad for the individual’s family, and if they have kids. It’s just sad.”
Duvall said one of the sheriffs was hysterical, yelling to get the other sheriffs back into the courthouse.
Chief Thompson said on Monday that this was a targeted shooting. Thompson said Elder fled the scene before EPD arrived, leading to a cross-county police pursuit, which ended in a standoff with officers in Christian County in western Kentucky.
Denham said during the standoff, Elder shot himself. He was airlifted to Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee where he later died that same day.
Hardin County court records indicate the suspect and Erica were scheduled for a hearing on an emergency protective order (EPO) Erica had filed against him for the first time. WAVE News obtained a copy of the order of protection filed on Aug. 8.
Erica alleged a year-and-a-half of abuse against her and her two children. An incident on July 30 led to the order being filed.
In the narrative, Erica alleged Elder was drunk and screaming at her daughter. When she tried to stop him, she said he hit her twice in the jaw. Erica and Elder continued to fight, with him wrestling her to the ground and beating her against the side of her head until he finally stopped.
The EPO would block access to Erica and her sister’s house and her son’s school.
“[In] family court, there’s always emotion involved,” Chief Thompson said. “When you have cases like this, and we have them daily because most counties have a family court now. So they see this. But it just takes one incident such as this to understand how volatile these cases can be.”
The EPO specified that, while Elder did not carry weapons, he had access to them.
Court records indicate Elder had a history of abuse, facing domestic violence charges in 2006, 2007, and 2008. All but the charges in 2006 were dismissed.
“Our prayers are always with the families and victims and everybody else that’s involved. It’s just terrible. It’s a tragedy,” said Elizabethtown Mayor Jeff Gregory. “I’m a 23-year law enforcement veteran, similar to Chief Thompson, I’ve seen quite a bit of this in my career and the domestic situations are never predictable. They often end in horrible situations like this.”
The most recent court filing included a continuance in Monday’s EPO hearing, pushing it back until Aug. 26.
Dennis McClarity, a neighbor of Erica Riley’s, said she always had a smile on her face while walking by.
“[I’m] really praying that the kids are okay and that the family gets through this tough time right now,” McClarity said. “It’s pretty rough, you don’t wish anything like this on anyone.”
A GoFundMe has been set up for the Riley family. Click here to learn more.
Editor’s note: WAVE News makes no representations or warranties of any kind about the authenticity, accuracy, or reliability of any GoFundMe campaign. Any donations you make to such campaigns are strictly at your own risk. If you have any questions related to the authenticity, accuracy, or reliability of a GoFundMe campaign, please contact GoFundMe directly or consult the GoFundMe Guarantee Policy.
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