2 killed, 1 injured in shooting in parking lot of Kentucky college

Louisville, Jan 26 : A gunman firing into a vehicle killed two people and wounded a juvenile as they sat in the parking lot of an eastern Kentucky community college.

The campus was locked down for more than an hour while police searched the two buildings of Hazard Community and Technical College in Hazard, Ky., to ensure there was no further danger before allowing students to leave, police told a news conference broadcast live on WYMT-TV's website.

College President Stephen Greiner said that at the time of the shooting, there were probably about 30 students on campus, which is based 90 miles southeast of Lexington, Ky.

Police recovered the weapon, a semiautomatic pistol, at the scene, and a man who walked into an office of the Kentucky State Police in Hazard and said he knew something about the shooting was being questioned as a suspect, Hazard Police Chief Minor Allen said. No charges had been filed and no other suspects had been identified at the time of the news conference, which was held about three hours after the shooting.

A male and female were already dead when police arrived about 6 p.m., Allen said. The wounded juvenile, a female, was taken to University of Kentucky Hospital, he said.

A hospital spokeswoman said she could not provide any information about the juvenile's condition without a name, which police did not release.

Allen said police believe the shooting may have been the result of a domestic dispute. He didn't know the relationship between the victims and the shooter.

Conor Duff, the college's evening co-ordinator, said the outbreak of violence was startling.

"Everybody here's been pretty shook up," he said. "This is definitely something people around here are not used to. We have our fair share of problems, but normally this isn't one of them."

Classes had resumed at the campus after the holiday break, according to the college's website, which also posted that there had been an incident and asked students to stay away from the main campus. The school called off classes.

The college's academic programs range from associate's degrees in arts and sciences to career-focused training in mining technology and heavy-equipment operation.

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