Man shoots dead two young women before turning gun on himself outside fundamentalist Christian church in Iowa on Thursday night

Shooter blasted two women in the parking lot of the Cornerstone Church of Armes near Des Moines

The attack came during the Summer Salt, a program for college-aged members of he church in the college town

Killer and victims are yet to be named, it’s not been confirmed that they knew themselves and motive has not been established

A gunman has shot and killed two young women in the parking lot of a fundamentalist Christina church in an Iowa college town, before turning the gun on himself.
The 23 mass shooting in the US this year claimed three young lives after the gunman blasted the members of the congregation outside Cornerstone Church of Armes, near Des Moines, around 7pm Thursday.
The suspected shooter appeared to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Story County Sheriff Capt. Nicholas Lennie said. The killer and the victims have not been identified. It is unclear if the three knew each other or what the motive was.
Devastated families and friends bursting into tears and hugging each other outside the church after the tragedy. The church released a heartbroken statement saying it was ‘saddened’ by what happened and confirmed those killed were young members but did not provide further details.
The attack was the latest deadly shooting to rock the US, following killings in New York, Texas, California and Oklahoma in recent weeks.

The attack came during the Summer Salt, a program for college-aged members, said Nicholas Lennie, chief deputy of the Story County Sheriff’s Office.

The attack came during the Summer Salt, a program for college-aged members, said Nicholas Lennie, chief deputy of the Story County Sheriff’s Office.
It is estimated that around 1,300 students gather weekly for the program. Yesterday was the first meeting of the summer.
When deputies arrived on scene they found all three dead, Lennie said, adding he could not provide identities nor disclose what the relationship between them may have been.
‘This appears to be an isolated, single-shooter incident,’ Lennie said. Lennie told the Des Moines Register that he was ‘shocked’ by the shooting a member of ‘law enforcement.’ 
‘We prepare and we train hard for this, but when it happens, it’s obviously chaotic until you get it under control,’ he told the Des Moines Register.
‘I would also like to take a moment to just extend our condolences to those involved, the victims involved, the families, the witnesses that were here at the church.’ 

The church said it was ‘saddened’ by the event in a statement on its Facebook page, writing: ‘Our hearts break for all involved, and we are praying for everyone affected, especially the family of the victims.
The Salt Company, which hosts the weekly program, said: ‘We are grieving deeply. Tonight, a tragic shooting occurred involving two young members of our Cornerstone Church community. It is believed that an adult male shot these two victims and then took his own life.’ 

Churchgoers reportedly remained on the grounds and inside the church for hours after the shooting, and photos from the scene show groups of people hugging one another in tears.
In a tweet, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds characterized the shooting as ‘senseless violence.’
‘Tonight’s act of senseless violence took the lives of two innocent victims at their place of worship. Kevin and I grieve for the families who have suffered an unfathomable loss.’ 
The shooting is the latest in a string of mass-shootings that have plagued the US in recent weeks. 
Ames, 30 miles north of Des Moines, is the center of a metro area of 126,195 and is the home of Iowa State University.
The Cornerstone church whose website says it is now a “multigenerational church with a passion to reach the next generation of college students with the Gospel,” is a a megachurch with dozens of staff, according to its website, was founded in 1994 from a college ministry at ISU called The Salt Company, which is still the name of the church’s university ministry. 
The Salt Company‘s website says that about 1,300 students gather to worship at Cornerstone every Thursday night during the school year.