A pastor was killed in his own church this morning. Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith said today Winona, Texas, that a pastor was killed and two other people were injured in a shooting at their church Sunday (1-3-2021) morning.
The pastor of Starrville Methodist Church confronted the shooter who had hidden from police in the church overnight. Deputies, using dogs and drones, searched for the man late Saturday (1-2-2021) in woods near Winona. This was after he was involved in a car chase. The civilian car in the chase was a Volkswagen Jetta with "fictitious" license plates. During the chase, a person in the vehicle pointed a shotgun through the sunroof, according to Sheriff Smith.
This morning the pastor of the nearby Starrville Methodist Church discovered him hiding in a church bathroom.. The pastor drew his gun and the man grabbed it and began shooting with it. The pastor was killed, a second person was injured by gunfire and another was hurt in a fall. This occurred around 9:30 this morning and not during a worship service.
The suspect fled in the pastor's vehicle. He was arrested in Harrison County following a chase that exceeded 120 mph. A weapon was also recovered.
He is now in custody.
photo: Getty