Three killed in shooting rampage

A gunman went on the rampage in the US, killing a policeman and one other man before turning the gun on himself in a church.

The sniper first targeted a courthouse in Moscow, Idaho, killing the police officer and leaving two people wounded, before hiding in a nearby church.

When police stormed the building they found his body and the body of another man, believed to be the church caretaker.

The gunman had a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, with a semi-automatic rifle, ammunition and spent shells nearby, police said.

The shooting, which began last night, also wounded a second officer and a civilian, a police spokesman said. He added that the sniper fired into the Latah County Courthouse from a car park across the street to lure people into the line of fire.

Police did not know the gunman’s motive and did not believe he had a specific target in mind.

Dozens of bullets struck the courthouse shortly after 11pm yesterday. No-one was injured, and officers rushed outside.

"Whoever the shooter is wanted to draw people to the courthouse," the spokesman said. "When officers responded, he did open fire on them".

A Moscow police officer was shot first, followed by a Latah County sheriff’s deputy who came to his aid. The civilian was struck after that.

None of the officers who responded returned fire, he said.

The police spokesman identified the officer killed as Lee Newbill, who was the first officer to respond to the shooting. He had died by the time he arrived at a local hospital.

The wounded officer, identified as Latah County Sheriff’s Deputy Brannon Jordon, was in serious condition with multiple gunshot wounds after pulling Newbill out of the line of fire.

Authorities did not release the name of the civilian, but Duke said he was undergoing surgery and was in stable condition.

A final shot was heard from inside the church about 1am.

The shooter’s body was found in the church sanctuary, and the body of another man was found in the church office.

Authorities did not release either man’s name, but the church’s pastor, Rev Norman Fowler, identified the man killed by the gunman as Paul Bauer, a church caretaker who lived at the church.