Man Fatally Shoots 2 Females Outside Iowa Megachurch

A man shot two females to death and then apparently killed himself Thursday night outside a church in Ames, Iowa, the AP reports. The man killed the two females in the parking lot of the Cornerstone Church, a megachurch on the outskirts of Ames, Story County Sheriff's Office Capt. Nicholas Lennie told the Des Moines Register. Investigators didn't know the ages of those killed, Lennie said. The shooter appeared to have then shot himself but his death is still being investigated, Lennie said.

The church is near Interstate 35, about 30 miles north of Des Moines. The sheriff's office didn't identify those killed or give details about what led to the shooting. A news conference is planned Friday morning. The sheriff's office told KCCI-TV that they received multiple calls at 6:51pm. A program was taking place inside the church at the time, per the Ames Tribune. "We are grieving deeply," said a statement from a rep for the Salt Company youth ministry at Cornerstone Church, with which the Thursday event was affiliated. "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."

(More shooting stories.)