Texas pastor killed WITH OWN GUN after confronting fugitive in church bathroom
A pastor in the Texas town of Winona was killed with his own gun after a fugitive hiding in his church’s bathroom disarmed and shot him. The suspect then stole the pastor’s car, but was arrested shortly afterwards.
The pastor opened a stall in the bathroom of Starrville Methodist Church in Winona, Texas, on Sunday morning to find a man hiding inside. The suspect, identified as a 21-year-old black man, had been involved in a car chase with police the night before, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office told local media.
Here’s the scene of a #shooting in which the pastor of Starrville Methodist Church in #Winona was killed when he confronted a suspect who was hiding in the church’s bathroom following a car chase Saturday night. #Texas#TXNews#TexasNewspic.twitter.com/8S8zcBNln4
— Reagan Roy-Young (@reaganroy) January 3, 2021
The pastor was armed and pointed a gun at the man, but was overpowered and shot dead with his own weapon. The suspect then fled the scene in the pastor’s car, reaching speeds of 120 miles per hour, before he was stopped in nearby Marshall.
“According to Sheriff Larry Smith, the pastor of Starrville Methodist was armed and brandished the weapon at the suspect and asked him to leave. But the suspect disarmed the pastor and then shot, killing him.” https://t.co/2NCF8gck3b via @KHOU
— Molly Hennessy-Fiske (@mollyhf) January 3, 2021
He was arrested, and treated for a gunshot injury to his hand. The sheriff’s office said that two more people were injured, one by gunshot and another who sustained injuries from a fall. Services were not being held in the church at the time of the shooting, the United Methodist Church said in a statement.
Our prayers for the people of Starrville Methodist Church in Winona, Texas. A shooting took place place at the church this morning that left at least one person dead and one person injured. Services were not being held at the time. https://t.co/TiXozDcVnE
— United Methodist News (@UMNS) January 3, 2021
According to a Smith County Sheriff’s Office spokesman, the suspect will be charged with capital murder.
#UPDATE: The suspect was hiding in the bathroom of Starrville Methodist Church when confronted by the armed pastor. The suspect disarmed the pastor, shot and killed him before stealing the pastor’s car, officials say. The suspect, a 21-year-old Black male, has been arrested. I pic.twitter.com/hVxqqMSGe4
— Reagan Roy-Young (@reaganroy) January 3, 2021
Located about 100 miles east of Dallas, Winona has a population of just over 500 people and is rarely in the news. However, a grisly murder-suicide there in 2019 made national headlines, when a husband, wife and their eight-year-old daughter were shot dead in their home.
Also on rt.com An American story: Texas church shooter was stopped by 'good guy' gun safety instructorThe Winona shooting came just over a year after a gunman stormed a packed church in White Settlement, just 150 miles east of Winona. The attacker killed two churchgoers but was immediately killed with a single shot to the head by an armed member of the congregation, who happened to be a gun instructor.
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