The gunman who opened fire at a rural Kentucky church—killing two people and injuring three others—reportedly declared, “Someone’s gonna have to pay,” after learning the mother of his three children was not present.
Beverly Gumm and her daughter, Star Rutherford, were in the basement of Richmond Road Baptist Church in Lexington on Sunday afternoon, preparing lunch for the congregation, when the shooter stormed in and demanded to see one of Rutherford’s sisters—the mother of his children—according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.
Rutherford and her mother told the gunman, later identified as Guy House, that she was not there.
Rutherford told the outlet that the gunman then said, “Well, someone’s gonna have to pay, then,” before opening fire.
Gumm — a 72-year-old mother of eight — dodged the initial shot by ducking, but was fatally struck in the chest by the second.
After leaving the church, House fatally shot Christina Combs, 34 — another of Rutherford’s sisters — outside.
He then turned the gun on Gumm’s husband, Jerry Gumm, the longtime pastor of Richmond Road Baptist Church, as well as Christina’s husband, Randy Combs, critically injuring both men.
Responding officers soon arrived on the scene and exchanged gunfire with House, ultimately shooting and killing him.
The victims have been identified as Beverly Gumm and Christina Combs.
Christina Combs and her husband, Randy Combs — who was also injured in the shooting — were among the victims.
The two injured victims were rushed to the University of Kentucky hospital for treatment.
On Sunday night, Rutherford posted on Facebook that Randy Combs is “awake,” while Jerry Gumm remains “sedated from surgery.”
Speaking to the Lexington Herald-Leader, Rutherford described her mother as a “faithful member of the church who loved God.”
Dasey “Patches” Rutherford, one of Star Rutherford’s sisters, shared that their mother’s “love language” was feeding the less fortunate.
Rachael Barnes, another sister, told the outlet that Christina Combs was a mother of five, including a 6-month-old baby, and was planning to graduate from nursing school in December.
The deadly rampage began around 11:30 a.m. at Blue Grass Airport, when a state trooper stopped a car on Terminal Drive after a license plate reader flagged the vehicle.
During the encounter, the suspect shot the trooper and then fled, leaving the officer in critical condition.
Larissa McLaughlin, who was at the airport with her husband dropping off a rental car, witnessed the incident unfold.
“It looked routine. He was outside talking to him through an open window,” McLaughlin told Lex 18. “As we were driving by, I heard two gunshots — ‘pop, pop’ — and I knew something was wrong.”
McLaughlin said she jumped out of her car while her husband called 911, then ran into the airport to get help.
“I was trying to alert everyone at the airport and just ran through screaming,” she recalled.
She found good Samaritans who provided life-saving aid to the wounded trooper.
After fleeing the airport, the suspect carjacked a vehicle and drove about 15 miles to Richmond Road Baptist Church, where he continued his deadly rampage before being stopped by responding officers.
The state trooper injured at the airport was transported to a nearby hospital with serious injuries but was reported to be in stable condition Sunday night.
Investigators continue to work to determine the motive behind the shootings.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear urged residents to express gratitude to law enforcement for their swift response.
“Please pray for everyone affected by these senseless acts of violence, and let’s give thanks for the swift response by the Lexington Police Department and Kentucky State Police,” Beshear posted on X.
Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton also extended her prayers to the victims’ families in a statement.
“Like many communities across the country, our community has suffered a mass shooting today, resulting in multiple deaths and injuries. A state police trooper was also wounded,” she said.
“Our police department maintains a strong partnership with the state police, and both agencies will collaborate to thoroughly investigate this tragedy.”
