Three Dead In Shooting At Iowa Megachurch [VIDEO]

The Des Moines Register reports:

A man shot and killed two female victims, then killed himself, in a parking lot outside Ames’ Cornerstone Church Thursday night, according to police and officials at the church.

“We are grieving deeply,” said a statement from Mark Vance, with the Salt Company youth ministry at Cornerstone Church. “Tonight, a tragic shooting occurred involving two young members of our Cornerstone Church community. It is believed that an adult male shot these two victims and then took his own life.”

The suspected shooter appeared to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Story County Sheriff Capt. Nicholas Lennie said. The ages of the female victims were not immediately known.

Des Moines’ CBS News affiliate reports:

KCCI spoke with Kacey Pierce, a student who went to Cornerstone for Thursday night’s program. He said that he and his friends came to the church after the shooting happened.

The group got out of their car and said they saw others ducking behind their cars. They didn’t know what was happening. Pierce described a few men trying to take charge to protect people, alerting people to get away from the scene.

“For that to happen at Cornerstone Church in Ames, Iowa. If you would have told me that a bit ago, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. It’s unbelievable, honestly,” Pierce said.

The three people died outside the Cornerstone Church, a megachurch on the outskirts of Ames, according to the Story County Sheriff’s Office. https://t.co/fd5VAZYcZ9

— Fox 4 News (@Fox4Now) June 3, 2022