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The pastor of a Maryville, Illinois, church was shot to death during a service Sunday in front of horrified parishioners who then tackled the gunman, state police said.

Fred Winters, the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Maryville, was shot and killed during the 8 a.m. service, and the attacker and two parishioners suffered knife wounds in the attack, said Illinois state police spokesman Ralph Timmins.

The gunman walked in during the service and walked up to the pulpit, opening fire when he was met by Winters, Timmins said. A police dispatcher in Maryville, about 10 miles east of St. Louis, Missouri, told CNN the pastor was shot three times.

Timmins said the gunman's .45-caliber pistol jammed after he shot Winters. The shooter then pulled out a knife and turned it on himself before being tackled by some of the roughly 150 worshippers attending the church.

Two of those who went after the attacker suffered non-life-threatening injuries, while the suspect's injuries are "very serious," Timmins said.

Witness Claudia Bohley told CNN affiliate KSDK she was in the church's foyer waiting for the service to begin when she heard "pop, pop, pop. ... We just couldn't imagine what had happened."

She said she ran into the sanctuary and saw what looked like paper scattered on the pulpit. She said she was later told that the bullet hit Winters' Bible.

"It was like confetti. It went everywhere," she said. "People were down on their knees and on the floor, screaming and praying."

She described Winters -- who is pictured on the church's Web site along with his wife and two children -- as "such a pleasant pastor."

St. Louis University Hospital spokeswoman Laura Keller told CNN three males, including the suspect, were brought to the hospital. One was dead on arrival, she said, but the hospital was not releasing names and ages. She said the second was in an operating room and the third was the suspect, whose condition was not immediately available.

Phone calls to the church office from CNN rang unanswered Sunday. A posting on the church's Web site said a prayer vigil would be held at 6 p.m. at Metro Community Church in Edwardsville, Illinois, about six miles north of Maryville.

First Baptist Church is fairly large, with about 1,000 members, KSDK reported. The church holds four Sunday services.

Timmins said many of the people attending the service remained for hours afterward, as police were conducting interviews.
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The Illinois shooting is believed to be the nation's first in a church since July, when a 58-year-old man opened fire in a Knoxville, Tennessee, church during a children's play. Two people were killed and six wounded in that shooting at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church.

In the Tennessee case, Jim Adkisson told police he targeted the church because of its "liberal teachings," according to court papers. Adkisson pleaded guilty last month in a deal that allowed him to avoid the death penalty and will face life in prison without parole, court officials said.

TheArmedFarmer wrote:I know a CHL holder who lives in Rusk. I'm going to ask him if he's a Methodist next time I see him (which will be tomorrow). If he says yes, I'll ask him if he's Oldgringo. :-)

TheArmedFarmer wrote:

...Although, my next door neighbor here in Jacksonville goes fishing at least 3 times a week, and he's a CHL too. Lots of guns in East Texas.

shootthesheet wrote:Illinois is/was looking at a CCW bill. I wonder if this will help or hurt it in any way. What I hear apart from Chicago the state is not all that anti-gun. But, since Chicago has the population it controls the law.

shootthesheet wrote:Illinois is/was looking at a CCW bill. I wonder if this will help or hurt it in any way. What I hear apart from Chicago the state is not all that anti-gun. But, since Chicago has the population it controls the law.

Oldgringo wrote:

shootthesheet wrote:Illinois is/was looking at a CCW bill. I wonder if this will help or hurt it in any way. What I hear apart from Chicago the state is not all that anti-gun. But, since Chicago has the population it controls the law.

I wonder if the shooter had his FOID card on him? You do know that Illinois has its own form of gun registration, don't you?