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Gunman kills pastor, stabs self and wound 2 others during Illinois church
More articles on this topic: CrimeGunman Opens Fire At Service In Baptist Church, Then Stabs Himself, Two Others Before Being Apprehended
MARYVILLE, Ill. – A gunman walked down the aisle of a suburban St. Louis church during Sunday services and shot the pastor to death before stabbing himself and slashing two others as parishioners wrestled him to the ground, authorities said.
The man walked in to the sprawling brick First Baptist Church in Maryville shortly after 8 a.m. and briefly spoke to the Rev. Fred Winters before pulling a .45 caliber handgun and shooting Winters once in the chest, said Illinois State Police Master Trooper Ralph Timmins.
AP report on the church shootingBefore the gunman could fire again, Timmins said, the pistol jammed. The man then pulled out a knife and wounded himself before churchgoers subdued him. Two parishioners involved in the struggle suffered knife wounds, Timmins said.
[...]
Pastor is killed in Maryville church shooting
MARYVILLE — Police say they do not know why a man walked into a service at the First Baptist Church in Maryville this morning and fatally shot the pastor.
The Rev. Fred Winters, said to be in his 40s, died at nearby Anderson Hospital of a gunshot wound to the chest, officials said.
The attacker, whose identity has not been released, was in serious condition at St. Louis University Hospital, where he was being taken into surgery for treatment of self-inflicted stab wounds.
The shooter refused to give authorities his name as he entered the operating room, the hospital said.
Ministers and other members of the church said that they did not recognize the shooter and could not fathom a motive but that it was possible he was a newcomer. The church has been rapidly attracting new families in the fast-growing, upscale area of Metro East.
[...]Police would not say whether the attacker was a member of the church, at 7710 State Highway 162.
Church member Linda Cunningham said she and others didn’t recognize the shooter as being a member.
She said she was sitting near the rear of the church when the shooter walked up the center aisle. She said her initial thought was that the shooter had been confused about the starting time because of daylight savings time.
“But if he’s late, why doesn’t he take a seat in back instead of going all the way to the front?” she said she wondered.
When the shot was fired, it appeared to have been shot through paper. Some speculated that the shooter had concealed his weapon with church bulletins.
“All you could see was confetti,” Cunningham said.
Some people initially believed the incident was part of a dramatic sketch — something that’s common at the Rev. Winters’ services.
[...]According to the church website, Winters became senior pastor of the church in 1987 when it had an average attendance of 32 people. Today, the church has about 1,200 members.
Fred and Cindy Lee (nee Jackson) were married September 12, 1987, and they have two children: Alysia Grace and Cassidy Hope. Fred Winters is the former president of the Illinois Baptist State Association and an adjunct professor at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, according to the church website.
[...]
Pastor Killed In Illinois Church Shooting
Police said at the time there were approximately 150 people in the church for the first of three Sunday services.
Many coming for the second service arrived to find emergency vehicles directing them away from the church, which reportedly has 1,500 members. Some parked at a nearby senior center where they were consoling one another.
[...]Church member Ron Plummer, who had arrived later that morning for the church’s second service, told KMOV that he is shocked and cannot believe this has happened.
A notice on the church’s Web site announced a prayer service this evening at 6 p.m. at Metro Community Church in Edwardsville, Ill., and asked, ” Please continue to pray.”
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