The pastor of an East Texas church was shot dead Sunday morning by a man who was hiding in the church after a chase, said Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith.
At around 7:30 pm on Saturday, Lindale police were chasing a Volkswagen Jetta near FM849. During the chase, a person in the vehicle brandished a shotgun through the sunroof, Smith said.
After the police lost sight of the car, a Smith County policeman spotted him again near FM849 and Interstate 20 and started following the car. The Texas Department of Public Security was also involved.
The car pulled off the US 271 highway and crashed into a yard near the Starrville Methodist Church, Smith said.
Starrville is about 22.5 km northeast of Tyler.
Police searched the area for about two hours, but saw no sign of the man, whose identity was not released.
At about 9:21 am on Sunday, the pastor of the church and several other people went to church. When the pastor opened the bathroom door, he was confronted by the man who was hiding in the church, said Smith.
He said that the pastor drew a firearm and told the person to stop, but the person did not listen and launched himself against the pastor.
The man disarmed the pastor and shot him with his own weapon, Smith said.
The pastor, whose name has not been released, was killed.
Another person at the church was undergoing surgery on Sunday at a Tyler hospital due to a gunshot wound, and a woman was being treated for a fall, Smith said.
The suspect, who fled in the pastor’s vehicle, was arrested shortly after in Harrison County. He had a gunshot wound in his hand, said Smith.
Authorities did not release additional details about how the other person in the church and the suspect were shot.
Smith said the shooting occurred before a religious service began and was unrelated.
“As far as I’m concerned, this is not an offense related to the church or religion,” he said. “This was an opportunity that was convenient for the guy to get out of the forest … and apparently he was still there when they came to the church this morning. ”
He said the suspect was holding a red bank bag that belonged to the church when he found the pastor.
Smith said the authorities will pursue a charge of capital murder.
He did not say why the Lindale police were originally chasing the vehicle, but said the car had fictional license plates.
“Our hearts are with the victims and families of those killed or injured in this terrible tragedy,” said Governor Greg Abbott in a written statement. “I am grateful for the police who arrested the suspect and I ask the Texans to join Cecilia and me in praying for the people affected by this horrific shooting.”
Abbott said the state is working with the first respondents and local officials to “ensure that justice is done and that the Starrville community has the resources it needs during this period.”