Gunman identified in deadly Kentucky church shooting as aspiring rapper with disturbing criminal history

A man who killed two women and injured three others in a horrific Kentucky church shooting has been identified.

47-year-old Guy House died after three police officers opened fire at him near the Richmond Road Baptist Church in Lexington on Sunday (July 13), according to the Fayette County Coroner’s Office.

Beverly Gumm, 72, and Christina Combs, 32, were both pronounced dead at the scene, while a Kentucky State Police trooper was shot after he pulled House over close to Terminal Drive near Blue Grass Airport, CBS News reports.

Lexington Police Department have confirmed the unidentified officer sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

Two male parishioners were also taken to hospital, with one said to be in a critical condition.

“Three Lexington police officers fired their service weapons. In accordance with Lexington police department policies, the officers had their issued body-worn cameras (BWCs) activated,” Lexington police said.

Two people have died (Michael Swensen/Getty Images)

“The incident is being investigated by the Kentucky state police critical incident response team, and the department’s public integrity unit will conduct an internal review of the incident.”

The police department went on to confirm the officers who shot House have now been placed on administrative leave, as per the department's policy.

House was detained back in 2022 for resisting arrest and possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, while he also tested positive for methamphetamine in a court-ordered drug test that formed part of his probation.

While he was released in January this year, the Lexington Herald-Leader reports that House was meant to appear in court on Monday (July 14) on domestic violence charges.

As for his career, House had aspired to be a successful rapper and went by the name of 'H***y Kong'.

Amid the tragedy in Kentucky, State Attorney General Russell Coleman has confirmed officials are on hand to offer assistance to local and state agencies.

The gunman has been identified as Guy House, aged 47 (Facebook)

"Today, violence invaded the Lord’s House," he said. "The attack on law enforcement and people of faith in Lexington shocked the entire commonwealth."

Meanwhile, Andy Beshear, Kentucky’s governor, posted a statement on Twitter following news of the shooting.

"Violence like this has no place in our commonwealth or country," he said. "Please join [my wife] Britainy and me as we pray for the families of those lost, each one a child of God gone too soon.

"Thank you to the @lexkypolice and @kystatepolice for their brave efforts today. Kentucky, let’s stand strong together and support our Lexington neighbors during this difficult time."