A gunman, Christopher Elder, 46, fatally shot a mother and daughter and injured another man outside a Kentucky courthouse on Monday before leading police on a highway chase and then shooting himself.

The victims, 37-year-old Erica Riley and her 71-year-old mother, Janet Riley, were attacked in a parking lot after Erica had attended a court hearing with Elder, with whom she had been in a relationship.

Janet Riley died at the hospital, while the injured man, also related to Erica, is in stable condition.

Elder was eventually located by police, and after a brief negotiation, he shot himself and is now in critical condition, the Associated Press has reported.

Nearby schools were placed on lockdown until police confirmed the incident was isolated.

Written by B.C. Begley