Two dead, two in hospital after shooting in Elizabethtown

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (WBKO) – A man accused of shooting three people outside the Hardin County Justice Center is hospitalized in critical condition following a standoff with police.

Elizabethtown Police Department Officer Chris Denham said calls came in around 9 a.m. reporting a shooting in the parking lot across from the Hardin County Justice Center in the 100 block of East Dixie Avenue.

When officers arrived, they found two women and one man shot to death. One of the women, 37-year-old Erica Riley of Elizabethtown, died at the scene.

“I just heard gunshots, about seven, 10, 12 shots,” said witness Rebecca Duvall. “Then we saw the body lying there and the sheriff told us to go back to the courthouse.”

The other woman, Riley's mother, Janet Riley, 71, of Hardinsburg, was hospitalized in critical condition but later died. The man, another of Riley's family members, is in stable condition at the hospital.

At a press conference on Monday afternoon, Elizabethtown Police Chief Jeremy Thompson said it was a targeted shooting.

Riley was with suspected shooter Christopher Elder, who allegedly fled the scene after firing the shots. The police chase ended in a standoff with officers on Judges Chapel Road in Christian County.

During this standoff, Elder shot himself, according to the police report, and was flown to Vanderbilt Hospital in critical condition.

According to court records, Elder was convicted of fourth-degree domestic violence assault in Jefferson County in 2006. Elder was also charged with fourth-degree spousal abuse aggravated assault in Breckinridge County in 2008, but that charge was dropped.

Elder and Riley were scheduled to appear in family court Monday morning to discuss a temporary restraining order Riley had obtained against Elder.

WBKO sister station WAVE News has obtained a copy of the protective order in which Riley accuses her and her two children of abuse for over a year.

“Family court, there are always emotions involved in cases like this, and we have them on a daily basis because most counties now have family court,” Thompson said. “It only takes one incident like this to understand how explosive these cases can be.”

Governor Andy Beshear commented on the shooting in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), urging people in the area to follow law enforcement guidance.

Beshear added: “Please join Britainy and me in praying for all those affected by this senseless act of violence.”

Kentucky State Police Post 2 has taken over the investigation and we will continue to update you as details become available.

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