Police have not yet named the suspect or any of the victims, but a press conference is expected today (Photo: WVTM 13)
A gunman opened fire on a suburb of a church in Alabama last night, killing two and wounding a third.
The attack took place at around 6.20 pm during a small group meeting at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in the Birmingham suburb of Vestavia Hills.
Investigators declined to identify the victims or suspects the police managed to catch alive.
No further details were released about the attack, but a press briefing is expected later today.
The church’s website lists “Boomers Potluck” for Thursday night, scheduled between 5:00 and 7:00 p.m.
A flyer for the event read: “There will be no program (sic), just eat and have time to communicate.”
Police did not provide a possible motive for the attack, but do not believe there is an additional threat to the community.
The attack took place in the Birmingham suburb of Vestavia Hills. Police still do not show a motive for the fatal shooting
It came just over a month after one person was killed and five were injured when a man opened fire on Taiwanese parishioners at a church in Southern California.
It also happened nearly seven years after the day, after an outspoken supporter of white supremacy killed nine people while studying the Bible at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina.
In Vestavia Hills, the Rev. Kelly Hudlow told the WBRC that the shooting stunned the church and the community as a whole.
“It’s shocking. St. Stephen’s is a community built on love, prayer and grace, and they will come together,” she said.
“People of all religions come together to pray, to hope for healing.”
She said support messages were coming from all over the United States and the world, adding: “We need everyone there. Pray, think, meditate and send love to this community because we will need everything.
More: Crime News
There were several shootings in May and June, beginning with a racist attack on May 14 that killed 10 blacks at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York.
The following week, a gunman killed 19 children and two adults at an elementary school in Uwalde, Texas.
Thousands gathered in the United States and the National Mall in Washington on Saturday to renew calls for tighter gun control.
Survivors of mass shootings and other incidents of gun violence lobbied lawmakers and testified on Capitol Hill earlier this month.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey issued a statement late Thursday lamenting what she called the church’s shocking and tragic loss of life.
Although she said she was glad to hear that the suspect was in custody, she wrote: “This should never happen – in a church, in a shop, in the city or anywhere.”
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