A man opened fire at a Benedictine abbey and seminary in northwest Missouri today, killing two monks before apparently taking his own life.
Two others were wounded, both reported in serious condition at hospitals in the nearby towns of Maryville and St. Joseph.
Police making a room-by-room search of the monastery building found monks who had locked themselves in closets when the shooting broke out.
The body of an unidentified man was found in a chapel at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception on the campus grounds adjacent to the monastery, along with a AK-47 assault rifle and a second gun, the sheriff said.
The body was believed to be that of the person who did the shooting, investigators said, although a final confirmation of that had not been made.
Nodaway County Sheriff Ben Espey told a news conference the motive behind the shootings was not yet known.
The 30-acre Conception Abbey includes a college-level seminary, residence halls, retreat facilities, the basilica and a printing house that makes cards and religious gifts.