Speaking of guns in church. . . . Sad story.
Suspect charged in pastor's shooting death (CNN) -- A 27-year-old man has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting of a pastor at a church in Maryville, Illinois, authorities said Monday.
Terry J. Sedlacek was charged with fatally shooting Fred Winters, the pastor of First Baptist Church. Winters was shot during Sunday morning services.
Prosecutors also charged Sedlacek with two counts of aggravated battery for the alleged stabbings of parishioners Terry Bullard and Keith Melton. The injuries are not life-threatening, said Illinois state police spokesman Ralph Timmins.
The gunman was also seriously wounded, Timmins said.
The church, meanwhile, urged its members to remember Winter's family, the wounded parishioners and the assailant and his family.
"Please pray for Dr. Winter's family, our two brave members who were injured when they stopped the assailant, for the assailant himself and his family, and for our church members as they deal with this tragic loss," the church said in a statement on its Web site.
Winters and the gunman apparently exchanged words before the 27-year-old man fired four shots, hitting the pastor's Bible and then the pastor, said Illinois State Police Director Larry Trent.
"The only thing we know is that the suspect said something to the pastor and the pastor said something back to him. We don't know what that was," Trent told reporters Sunday afternoon. "It was almost as if the pastor may have recognized him, but we're not sure about that at all."
The gunman's .45-caliber pistol jammed after he shot Winters, Trent said. The man then pulled out a knife before being tackled by some of the approximately 150 worshippers attending the service in southern Illinois, near St. Louis, Missouri.
Earlier reports from authorities said the man may have turned the knife on himself, but Trent said that was not confirmed.
"When he was tackled by two of the members, we don't know whether he fell on the knife, injuring himself at the time, or whether [his injury] was self-inflicted during the struggle," Trent said.
Two of those who went after the attacker suffered non-life-threatening injuries, while the suspect's injuries are "very serious," Illinois state police spokesman Ralph Timmins said. Watch police describe "heroic action" of parishioners »
Witness Claudia Bohley told CNN affiliate KSDK she was in the church's foyer waiting for the service to begin when she heard "pop, pop, pop. ... We just couldn't imagine what had happened."
She said she ran into the sanctuary and saw what looked like paper scattered on the pulpit. She said she was later told that a bullet hit Winters' Bible.
"It was like confetti. It went everywhere," she said. "People were down on their knees and on the floor, screaming and praying."
She described Winters -- who is pictured on the church's Web site along with his wife and two children -- as "such a pleasant pastor."
Trent said police were still trying to determine a motive in the shooting, and that church members did not recognize the gunman.
St. Louis University Hospital spokeswoman Laura Keller told CNN three males, including the suspect, were brought to the hospital. One was dead on arrival, she said. She said the second was in an operating room and the third was the suspect, whose condition was not immediately available.
Trent said one of two wounded parishioners was treated and released.
Trent called the actions of the two wounded parishioners "heroic," saying they took quick action when others "were understandably stuck to their seats."
A posting on the church's Web site said a prayer vigil would be held at 6 p.m. at Metro Community Church in Edwardsville, Illinois, about six miles north of Maryville.
First Baptist Church has about 1,000 members, KSDK reported. The church holds four Sunday services.
Timmins said many of the people attending the service remained for hours afterward, as police were conducting interviews.
The Illinois shooting is believed to be the nation's first in a church since July, when a 58-year-old man opened fire in a Knoxville, Tennessee, church during a children's play. Two people were killed and six wounded in that shooting at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church.
In the Tennessee case, Jim Adkisson told police he targeted the church because of its "liberal teachings," according to court papers. Adkisson pleaded guilty last month in a deal that allowed him to avoid the death penalty and will face life in prison without parole, court officials said.
Police said the Maryville congregation had a plan in place, including a protocol for lockdown, in the event of an incident such as Sunday's attack.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/03/09/church.shooting/index.html
