A Pastor was shot and killed during the church service in Maryville, Illinois which is less than 10 miles from my home. My Mom just got a call from the friend. It occured just a few hours ago. Information is just starting to hit the local news.
For more info, check out the St. Louis Post Dispatch or KSDK - the NBC local affiliate..
Fron KSDK's website:
KSDK -- A senior pastor who was shot at a Maryville, Illinois church has died from his injuries.
The shooting happened around 8:55 a.m. at First Baptist Church at 7110 State Route 162, which is about 20 miles northeast of St. Louis.
Master Trooper Ralph Timmins, of Illinois State Police, said Fred Winters, of Edwardsville, was at the pulpit when a man came down the aisle around 8:55 a.m. Winters asked if he could help the man, then Winters was shot multiple times.
Maryville is located in Madison County across the river from St. Louis. Maryville is part of a prosperous quad city area that includes Edwardsville, Glen Carbon and Troy. The four cities, once separated by many family farms, have nearly merged into one large surburban sprawl over the past few deacades. The commute to downtown St. Louis is much easier than the commute from Western St. Louis County and has attracted many new affluent residents from Missouri.
There were two other people injured as well as the suspect:
The suspect was hospitalized in serious condition, according to Mastor Trooper Timmins. Keith Melton and one other church member who were cut by the knife do not have life threatening injuries. Melton is at Granite City Regional Hospital.
If this diary lasts and more info becomes available, I will add before it disappears.
More from the Post-Dispatch
The suspect approached the pulpit during the sermon:
Ralph Timmins of the Illinois State Police said the incident happened shortly after the service started about 8:15 a.m., with about 150 people present. The attacker walked to the pulpit, exchanged words with Winters and then shot him once.
Timmins said the .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol then jammed, and the gunman began stabbing himself with a knife. When members of the congregation moved to subdue him, two of them were slashed.
This must have been a horrible experience for the congregation to witness.
More about the pastor who was killed:
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.
My mother is homebound and the communion crew from her church, a Lutheran denomination just left. Word spread quickly and they were informed and prayed for the victims before their servive ended. This community is very religious and this event will affect alot of people in alot of churches.
I feel like I am in "bizzaro world" as the usually quoted phrase goes: "Things like this aren't suppose to happen where I live.".
Local Fox TV is repoorting live right now and are reporting that witnesses claim that none of the members of the church new or recognized the suspect.
Update 2:
CNN has on their front page now.
Here's the link their report.
CNN headline news has picked it up. It opened the 2 PM CST broadcast.
A community prayer service has been announced this evening in my town, Edwardsville.
The website for the First Baptist Church says there will be a prayer service tonight at 6 p.m. at Metro Community Church at 3551 Ridgeview Road in Edwardsville.