Two folks had been killed and one was injured after an individual opened fireplace at an Alabama church Thursday night, authorities stated.
Vestavia Hills Police Capt. Shane Ware stated officers responded to stories of an lively shooter at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, at about 6:22 p.m. native time. Ware added {that a} suspect is in custody and that there have been no extra threats to the neighborhood.
“From what we’ve gathered from the circumstances of this evening, a lone suspect entered a small group church meeting and began shooting,” Ware stated at a news briefing late Thursday.
Ware didn’t determine the shooter or say if investigators had decided a motive.
The particular person injured in the capturing was being handled at an area hospital, Ware confirmed. The identities of the victims or the situation of the injured particular person weren’t instantly accessible.
The FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco are aiding in the investigation, Ware later stated.
According to the church’s web site, there was a potluck scheduled between 5 and 7 p.m. Thursday. Rev. Kelley Hudlow, who works in the workplace of Bishop Glenda Curry of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama, advised local station WVTM-13 that they’re asking the neighborhood to come back collectively in assist of the victims and their family members.
“We’re Episcopalians; we believe in Jesus and we believe that prayer helps,” Hudlow stated. “Currently we are praying for healing and safety for all those that have been impacted and affected.”
‘EXCEPTIONAL HEROISM’:California churchgoers stopped rampage, hogtied suspect after lethal capturing
USA TODAY INVESTIGATION:Gun violence coverage is specializing in psychological well being however federal data nonetheless lack some states
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey stated in a press release she was providing prayers to the victims and the neighborhood.
“I am glad to hear the shooter is in custody,” she stated. “This should never happen — in a church, in a store, in the city or anywhere. We continue to closely monitor the situation.”
Vestavia Hills, an prosperous suburb of about 40,000 residents, is about 7 miles south of Birmingham, Alabama.
The Alabama capturing is the most recent assault carried out at a spot of worship. In May, one particular person was killed and 5 others had been injured in a Southern California church capturing that authorities described as a “politically motivated hate incident” in opposition to the Taiwanese neighborhood.
It additionally comes after a spate of high-profile mass shootings all through the nation in latest weeks, together with in Buffalo, New York, the place 10 Black folks had been killed in a grocery retailer; Uvalde, Texas, the place 19 kids and two academics had been killed in an elementary college; and Tulsa, Oklahoma, the place 4 folks had been killed in a medical facility.Â