A shooting outside an Iowa church Thursday evening left three people dead, including a suspected gunman, according to local authorities.
Capt. Nicholas Lennie of Story County Sherrif Department said the incident happened before 7 p.m. outside Cornerstone Church in Armes, while a program was going on inside, as per a report from NBC News. Deputies found at the scene the remains of two females and a male.
Sheriff Paul H. Fitzgerald said the event at the church involved college-age students. The shooting, however, took place just outside.
Lennie said 911 callers reported a gunman in the parking lot shooting two persons.
The gunman has been identified, and there is no threat to the community. However, the motive of the shooting had not been established yet as the probe was still in its early phases, according to the official.
Investigators are looking into whether the shooter committed suicide though they believe it was an isolated case.
"This appears to be an isolated, single-shooter incident," Lennie noted, per a Reuters report.
Heartbreaking Incident
A report from KCCI 8 stated Cornerstone Pastor Mike Vance released a statement regarding the tragic shooting, wherein he stated that "two young members of our Cornerstone Church community" were involved in the incident.
"We can say, however, that we are more than saddened by the events that transpired. Our hearts break for all involved, and we are praying for everyone affected. Our Ministry staff are available to support all those impacted, and we will continue to fully cooperate with authorities as they complete their full investigation," Vance said in the statement.
He also commended the "responsiveness" of the Story County Sheriff's Department, Ames Police Department, and law enforcers for handling the incident "with exceptional professionalism and compassion."
Biden Pushes for Tougher Gun Laws
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden made a passionate plea for stricter gun control laws on Thursday, calling for a ban on assault weapons, stricter background check laws, and a higher minimum age to purchase.
The call came as a series of gun massacres shocked the country and urged fresh talks on Capitol Hill about how to avoid them, CNN reported.
Biden ratcheted the pressure on Congress to act after past massacres failed to yield any significant new laws, speaking from the White House Cross Hall, where mournful lines of lighted candles were a backdrop.
Since the recent mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York, it was the President's most emphatic and precise appeal for gun regulation.
The President asked: "How much more carnage are we willing to accept?" He demanded Republicans end their obstruction of gun control measures.
He used his address to simultaneously inspire action and warn opponents of new gun legislation with voter anger, although the majority of voters want some form of new action to avoid mass killings.
Biden also urged Congress to strengthen background checks for gun purchases, establish new rules for safely storing weapons, enact new "red flag" laws prohibiting gun sales to people with criminal records, repeal liability shields for gun manufacturers, and increase mental health services for students.
Most of those proposals seem unlikely to pass in the Senate, which is evenly divided. A bipartisan group of senators is currently analyzing how to make the measures possible.
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