Vestavia Hills, Alabama - A lone gunman opened fire inside Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church in suburban Alabama Thursday evening, killing two people and wounding a third at a small group meeting before being taken into custody, authorities said.
Police Capt. Shane Ware ofthe Vestavia Hills Police Department said, dispatchers got a call at around 6:20 p.m. reporting an active shooter there.
Ware said a suspect, who was not identified publicly, is in custody. The surviving victim is being treated at a hospital for undisclosed injuries.
The church’s website listed a “Boomers Potluck” for Thursday night. “There will be no program, simply eat and have time for fellowship,” the flyer read.
Rev. Kelley Hudlow, missioner for clergy formation for the Diocese of Alabama, told CNN affiliate WVTM the community needs to be lifted up in healing through prayer and unity.
Church members gather for a prayer circle after the shooting at the Church, Image-AP
"Currently we are praying for healing and safety for all those who have been impacted and affected, and also knowing this is a traumatic thing that has happened to our community, not just our church, but this community here," Hudlow said. "What we need is for this community to do what it's really good at, which is coming together to take of each other."
Church members held hands and prayed in a nearby parking lot, with several people appearing distressed by what happened, CNN affiliate WBRC reported.
The shooting is the latest in a house of worship amid a national reckoning on firearms and their availability. Last month, six people were shot, one fatally, at a Taiwanese church service in Southern California.
On Saturday thousands of people rallied in the U.S. and at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to renew calls for stricter gun control measures.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey issued a statement late Thursday lamenting what she called the shocking and tragic loss of life at the church. Although she said she was glad to hear the suspect was in custody, she wrote: “This should never happen — in a church, in a store, in the city or anywhere.”
-AP/CNN