He was shot dead at the church and multiple parishioners were wounded by gunfire as they tried to escape. Whom they were shot by is still unclear.
The wounded deputy was taken to hospital with serious injuries but is in a stable condition, the Lexington Fire Department said.
‘We were the first to the scene after the shooting, barely escaping a head-on crash from the shooter while he drove out of the airport the wrong way,’ witness Gena Roland said.
‘The trooper was thankfully awake and coherent when the ambulance arrived, albeit in a lot of pain.
‘It was intense. There were many good samaritans that stopped and ran to the trooper. I think we had five of us down there before the cops and paramedics arrived on scene.’
Other locals wrote online that they saw dozens of police and other emergency vehicles rushing to the airport.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said his office was aware of the shooting.
‘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,’ he said.
Part of the airport drive is shut down as local police investigate, but flights and airport operations have since returned to normal.
A blue Nissan was taped off by police as part of the investigation.
The circumstances of the airport shooting are unclear, as is whether it was inside the terminal or in one of the car parks.
Three other people were wounded in a third shooting about 4am on Sunday on the other side of town to the airport.