OKLAHOMA CITY (CNS) — Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City expressed sadness following a shooting that claimed the lives of three people outside of an Oklahoma store.

“It pains me to read, yet again, about the tragic loss of life due to gun violence and the devaluing of the inherent dignity of every human person,” Archbishop Coakley said following the Nov. 18 incident in Duncan, Oklahoma.

“We must do more to help people find better solutions. My prayers are with their families and friends who are suffering and for the Duncan community. May God bring peace, comfort and healing,” he said.

[hotblock]

The incident unfolded shortly before 10 a.m. outside a Walmart store in the town of 22,000 located about 80 miles south of Oklahoma City, according to police.

Duncan Police Chief Danny Ford confirmed that three people died — one woman and two men, including the shooter, The Duncan Banner reported.

A man and a woman were discovered in a car in a parking lot and one man on the ground near to the vehicle, according to Ford.

Witnesses watched horrified as the shooting unfolded and sought safety inside the store.

The newspaper reported that the police chief said a semiautomatic handgun was used in the incident, but that he offered no other details about the weapon.

While the shooting occurred in the store parking lot, authorities were unsure if anything that may have precipitated the incidents happened inside the establishment.

All three people remained unidentified at mid-afternoon as law enforcement authorities continued their investigation.

Schools in the city were briefly placed on lockdown, which was lifted after police determined the shooter had died at the scene, local media reported.