People pray at the CrossRoad Baptist Church parking lot after a shooting at Cornerstone Church in Ames, Iowa, U.S. June 2, 2022. Nirmalendu Majumdar/USA Today Network via REUTERS
OAN NEWSROOM
UPDATED 1:52 PM PT – Friday, June 3, 2022
On Thursday night, a lone gunman killed himself after fatally shooting two women at the Cornerstone Church in Ames, Iowa.
At approximately 6:51 pm the Story County Sheriff’s Office received multiple 911 calls reporting that a male individual had shot two people in the parking lot of the Cornerstone Church.
— Story County Sheriff (@storycosheriff) June 3, 2022
During a press conference Friday morning, the Story County Sheriff’s Office identified the two women killed in the shooting as 22-year-old Eden Moriah Montang and 21-year-old Vivian Renee Flores. The women were both Iowa State University students.
Sheriff Paul Fitzgerald later named 33-year-old Boone, Iowa resident Johnathan Lee Whitlatch as the shooter. Reports indicated Whitlatch had gone to the church as a result of a domestic dispute with one of the victims. The shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after firing multiple rounds from a nine millimeter handgun in the church’s parking lot.
“This shooting is a result of a domestic situation between the shooter and Eden montang,” claimed Fitzgerald. “The shooting is classified as a targeted act of violence.”
At this time, the Story County Sheriff’s Office can confirm that there are three people deceased, one of them being the male identified as the shooter.
There is not an ongoing threat to the community. There will be no further updates at this time.— Story County Sheriff (@storycosheriff) June 3, 2022
The women reportedly attended a college bible study at the church when Whitlatch drove up and began arguing with Montang. He then fired multiple shots at her and the two women accompanying her. Montang and Flores were struck multiple times, while the third woman was not hit. Emergency responders provided aid to all three at the scene but were unsuccessful.
Fitzgerald later noted that Whitlatch had been arrested earlier in the week and charged with harassment and impersonating a public official. His arrest was in connection with another incident that involved Montang on Tuesday. The two previously dated and recently broke up.
Further investigation revealed he purchased the ammunition just an hour before the shooting. Authorities are now asking for privacy for everyone involved.
