An 80-year-old has been killed in a gun battle with police after he shot dead another elderly man in a cemetery.
Police said the pair had arranged to meet at the graveyard in Tiverton, Rhode Island, where one of them was known to go to read his bible.
Mourners visiting loved-one’s graves heard gunshots ring out as Edward Acquisto, 80, opened fire and killed 81-year-old John Cloud, Tiverton police chief Tom Blakey told reporters.
He said: "This was not a random act. The victim and the suspect knew each other.”
After police were called to the incident at about 7pm on Monday, Acquisto fled the scene but was later tracked down by police to residential neighbourhood.
He shot at police after they cornered him at a dead end, with officers killing the octogenarian gunmen – who had a criminal record for manslaughter and sexual assault - as they returned fire.
The three officers involved in the case have been placed on administrative leave as is routine in such cases, police said.
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