Kentucky shooter might have targeted African-American church

The suspect in Wednesday’s shooting at a supermarket in Kentucky that killed two people had a history of violence and mental illness and tried to enter a predominantly African-American church before his deadly attack, according to local police. Gregory Bush was arrested in the killing of two African-Americans, a man and a woman, at a Kroger near Louisville, Ky. An armed bystander engaged the suspect in the parking lot after the shooting, but Bush fled and police later apprehended him on a nearby road.

Surveillance footage confirmed a tip from a city employee, who said he saw Bush outside the First Baptist Church of Jeffersontown, Ky., earlier that day. City police Chief Sam Rogers said Bush “appeared to try to gain access to the church,” but it was too soon to say whether the shooting was racially motivated. News outlets reported that Bush made a racial comment after the shooting.

The FBI announced it “is evaluating the evidence to determine if there were any violations of federal law.” Bush was jailed in lieu of a $5 million bond Thursday on two counts of murder and 10 counts of felony wanton endangerment. The local coroner’s office identified the victims as Maurice Stallard, 69, and Vicki Lee Jones, 67.