Man in central Illinois killed three people and wounded another before killing self, authorities say

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A man is believed to have killed three women and wounded a man before killing himself during a traffic stop in central Illinois, authorities said.

Police were called to a home in rural Ashland, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) west of Springfield, in response to a report of a man being shot late Thursday, The Springfield State Journal-Register reported. They discovered a man with a gunshot wound and a woman who was dead.

The wounded man told police about a related attack at another Ashland home. Authorities found two women dead there.

Police identified a suspect and officers located his vehicle in Jacksonville, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southwest of Ashland. The man was found dead of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound inside the vehicle, the Jacksonville Journal Courier reported.

The surviving man was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Cass County Sheriff Devron Ohrn said in an email that he plans to release the victims and suspect's names later Friday. The Illinois State Police, who are assisting the sheriff's office in the case, said no further information would be released due to the pending investigation.

Mary Neulinger, executive assistant to Jacksonville Police Chief Adam Mefford, referred questions to the sheriff's office and state police.