A gunman who shot two women with an assault rifle before turning the weapon on himself was in a “relationship” with both of them, say police.

Suspect as Mikal Dixon, 27, had broken into a home in Burlington, in the eastern US state of Vermont, in the early hours of 25th July armed with an AR-15 rifle.

The police said that he killed Kayla Noonan, 22, and seriously wounded a second woman, also aged 22.

He then killed himself with the same short-barrelled weapon, according to the police.

At a press conference on the day of the killings, officers told how the gunman had been in a “relationship” with both women.

Acting police chief Jon Murad said: “We believe that Mr Dixon and Ms Noonan had a relationship going back several years, and we know that also there was a relationship between all three.”

Murad did not confirm the nature of the trio’s relationship.

He told how the survivor managed to call police despite being seriously wounded.

She is reportedly in a critical condition at the University of Vermont Medical Center.

Murad said: “Two people are dead, the third has serious, life-altering injuries, but is currently alive in stable although critical condition.

“I offer my and this department’s deep sympathies to two families in their bereavement and to their friends and loved ones, and I offer fervent hopes for the recovery and the well-being of the living victim, and strength to her family and friends in the days ahead.”

The police chief added: “Police recovered the AR-15 believed to have been used in the crime.”

Murad continued: “Police currently believe that all involved persons are accounted for, and there is no additional danger to the public, but this is preliminary information from an investigation that is in its earliest stages.”

The investigation continues.