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MARYVILLE, IL (KTVI-FOX 2now.com) -
A gunman walked down the aisle of a Metro East church during Sunday services and shot the pastor to death before stabbing himself and slashing two others as parishioners wrestled him to the ground, authorities said. The man walked in to the sprawling brick First Baptist Church in Maryville shortly after 8 a.m. and briefly spoke to the Rev. Fred Winters before pulling a .45 caliber handgun and shooting Winters once in the chest, said Illinois State Police Master Trooper Ralph Timmins.
Before the gunman could fire again, Timmins said, the pistol jammed. The man then pulled out a knife and wounded himself before churchgoers subdued him. Two parishioners involved in the struggle suffered knife wounds, Timmins said.
Timmins said officials don't know if Winters and the gunman knew each other and did not know the suspect's name.
"We don't know the relationship (between the gunman and pastor), why he's here or what the circumstances came about that caused him in the first place to be here," Timmins said.
Winters was taken to Anderson Hospital in Maryville, where he was pronounced dead on arrival, according to spokeswoman Natalie Head. Two others wounded at the church were airlifted to another hospital, Head said.
The gunman and one victim, 39-year-old Terry Bullard, were being treated at St. Louis University Hospital, said spokeswoman Laura Keller. Bullard underwent surgery for stab wounds and was in serious condition, she said.
Keller said the gunman was undergoing surgery early Sunday afternoon but could not provide his name, condition, or type of injuries.
The Rev. Mark Jones, another pastor at First Baptist, said he did not recognize the gunman, who Jones saw briefly before he pulled his weapon. Jones then went into an adjacent room and did not see the shooting, though he heard a sound like miniature fire crackers.
"We have no idea what this guy's motives were," Jones said outside the church. "We don't know if we'll ever know that."
Winters, a father of two who had led First Baptist for nearly 22 years, was the former president of the Illinois Baptist State Association and an adjunct professor for Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, according to the church's Web site.
"Our great God is not surprised by this, or anything," Nate Adams, executive director of the Illinois Baptist State Association, said in a statement. "That He allows evil and free will to have their way in tragedies like this is a mystery in many ways. But we know we can trust Him no matter what, and draw close to Him in any circumstances."
First Baptist parishioner Sharla Dryden, 62, pulled into the church parking lot for a 9:30 a.m. service to see "just a lot of chaos, lot of police, fire, and people just devastated."
"They just said there had been a shooting," Dryden said. "I would have been devastated if anyone had been shot, but to hear it was the pastor was terrible. You just never expect this to happen at a church."
Maryville is about 20 miles north east of St. Louis in Madison County, IL.
Congressman John Shimkus (R, Illinois-19) issued the following statement in regards to the shooting: "I personally know several members of First Baptist Church. And I have met with Pastor Winters several times over the years. I want to extend my personal condolences to Pastor Winters' family and the entire First Baptist family. This is a tragic event, and I continue to pray for all touched by this. I am reminded of scripture, from Romans Chapter 14, verses 7 and 8: 'For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself along. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.'"
A prayer service will be held tonight at 6:00pm, March 8, 2009, at Metro Community Chuch in Edwardsville, IL.
Before the gunman could fire again, Timmins said, the pistol jammed. The man then pulled out a knife and wounded himself before churchgoers subdued him. Two parishioners involved in the struggle suffered knife wounds, Timmins said.
Timmins said officials don't know if Winters and the gunman knew each other and did not know the suspect's name.
"We don't know the relationship (between the gunman and pastor), why he's here or what the circumstances came about that caused him in the first place to be here," Timmins said.
Winters was taken to Anderson Hospital in Maryville, where he was pronounced dead on arrival, according to spokeswoman Natalie Head. Two others wounded at the church were airlifted to another hospital, Head said.
The gunman and one victim, 39-year-old Terry Bullard, were being treated at St. Louis University Hospital, said spokeswoman Laura Keller. Bullard underwent surgery for stab wounds and was in serious condition, she said.
Keller said the gunman was undergoing surgery early Sunday afternoon but could not provide his name, condition, or type of injuries.
The Rev. Mark Jones, another pastor at First Baptist, said he did not recognize the gunman, who Jones saw briefly before he pulled his weapon. Jones then went into an adjacent room and did not see the shooting, though he heard a sound like miniature fire crackers.
"We have no idea what this guy's motives were," Jones said outside the church. "We don't know if we'll ever know that."
Winters, a father of two who had led First Baptist for nearly 22 years, was the former president of the Illinois Baptist State Association and an adjunct professor for Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, according to the church's Web site.
"Our great God is not surprised by this, or anything," Nate Adams, executive director of the Illinois Baptist State Association, said in a statement. "That He allows evil and free will to have their way in tragedies like this is a mystery in many ways. But we know we can trust Him no matter what, and draw close to Him in any circumstances."
First Baptist parishioner Sharla Dryden, 62, pulled into the church parking lot for a 9:30 a.m. service to see "just a lot of chaos, lot of police, fire, and people just devastated."
"They just said there had been a shooting," Dryden said. "I would have been devastated if anyone had been shot, but to hear it was the pastor was terrible. You just never expect this to happen at a church."
Maryville is about 20 miles north east of St. Louis in Madison County, IL.
Congressman John Shimkus (R, Illinois-19) issued the following statement in regards to the shooting: "I personally know several members of First Baptist Church. And I have met with Pastor Winters several times over the years. I want to extend my personal condolences to Pastor Winters' family and the entire First Baptist family. This is a tragic event, and I continue to pray for all touched by this. I am reminded of scripture, from Romans Chapter 14, verses 7 and 8: 'For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself along. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.'"
A prayer service will be held tonight at 6:00pm, March 8, 2009, at Metro Community Chuch in Edwardsville, IL.
