A shot at a church in Texas on Sunday left one pastor dead and three others, including the sniper, wounded, officials said.
The shooting took place at the Starrville Methodist Church in Smith County, about 100 miles east of Dallas.
The sniper had been chased by police on Saturday night, Sheriff Larry Smith, of Smith County, told a news conference on Sunday.
It was unclear what triggered the chase, but the sheriff said that the plates of the Volkswagen Jetta that the man drove were “fictitious – they did not belong to the vehicle”.
During the chase, the sniper brandished a shotgun through the Jetta’s sunroof, he said. A state policeman in a patrol car hit the car the man was driving and the man fled into the forest, Sheriff Smith said.
A two-hour manhunt, in which drones and dogs were used, was unsuccessful, he said. The man took refuge in the church on late Saturday or early Sunday.
At about 9:30 am local time on Sunday, the pastor, his wife and two other people entered the church, unaware that the fugitive was inside, Sheriff Smith said.
The man, who was hiding in the bathroom, confronted the pastor, who drew his gun and asked the sniper to leave, the sheriff said.
But as they moved towards the front door, the man launched himself at the pastor and held the gun, shooting and killing the pastor. It was not clear what kind of weapon the pastor had or what happened to the shotgun the man had during the chase.
The sniper, who was not identified, suffered a gunshot wound to his left hand, said Sheriff Smith, although it is unclear who shot him.
Another person was shot and was in surgery at UT Health East Texas hospital on Sunday afternoon, officials said. The condition of that person was not clear.
Another person, a woman who was not shot, had non-fatal injuries in a fall during the chaos after the shooting. She was in the same hospital in stable condition, a hospital spokeswoman said.
The shooting took place before people came together for religious services.
There were four people, excluding the sniper, in the church at the time of the shooting, Sheriff Smith said. Authorities did not immediately identify the victims.
The shooting did not appear to have a religious motive, the sheriff said.
“It was convenient for the guy to get out of the woods – it was cold last night – to find a warm place for him to stay, and apparently he was still there when they went to church this morning,” said Sheriff Smith.
The sniper “had one of the red bags that belonged to the church in his hand” when the pastor discovered it in the bathroom, Sheriff Smith said.
The shooter fled the scene in the pastor’s car before being apprehended by state officials, the sheriff said. The sniper will be transferred to the custody of the Smith County sheriff’s office for questioning.
Sheriff Smith said he would bring charges of capital murder to prosecutor Jacob Putman, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday.
Governor Greg Abbott said in a statement that the state was “working closely with the first respondents and local officials to ensure that justice is done and that the Starrville community has the resources it needs during that period.”
In a separate Twitter message, he said, “Texas will seek quick justice for the sniper.”