Pastor killed in shooting at Methodist church in East Texas
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The Smith County Sheriff s Office investigates a fatal shooting incident at the Starville Methodist Church in Winona, Texas, on Sunday morning, Jan. 3, 2021. A suspect who fled has been arrested, said the sheriff’s office. (Zak Wellerman/Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP)Zak Wellerman/Associated Press
WINONA A pastor was killed and two other people were injured in a shooting at an East Texas church Sunday, after the pastor pulled a gun on a suspect who had been hiding out in the church, a local sheriff said.
Police had been searching for the man late Saturday in woods near Winona following a car chase. The pastor of the Starrville Methodist Church discovered the suspect hiding in a church bathroom around 9:20 a.m., Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith said at a news conference.
A church pastor is dead after a shooting at the
Starrville Methodist Church in Winona, Texas about one-hundred miles east of Dallas. Services were not underway at the church when it happened. According to the Smith County Sheriff s Department, the suspect had reportedly taken shelter inside the church overnight before confronting the pastor this morning. The pastor who reportedly had a gun and tried to get the suspect to leave, but the suspect grabbed the gun and shot the pastor. He then fled in the pastor s car and led officers on a chase before being caught. Two other people were also injured in the incident.
Texas church shooting: Poster dead, suspect in custody washingtonpost.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from washingtonpost.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Starrville is about 14 miles northeast of Tyler.
Law enforcement searched the area for about two hours, but saw no sign of the man, whose identity has not been released.
At about 9:21 a.m. Sunday, the church pastor and several other people went to the church. As the pastor opened the door to the bathroom, he was confronted by the man who had been hiding in the church, Smith said.
He said the pastor pulled out a firearm and told the person to stop, but the person did not listen and lunged at the pastor.
The man disarmed the pastor and shot him with his own weapon, Smith said.
A Texas church shooting leaves a pastor dead and 2 others injured kvia.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kvia.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.