Gunman kills pastor at Texas church before being captured by police

[January 04, 2021]    (Reuters) -A gunman killed a pastor at an East Texas church on Sunday and wounded at least one other person before fleeing the scene and being arrested by police in a nearby county, authorities said.

Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith told reporters the pastor of the Starrville Methodist Church in Winona discovered a man hiding in a church bathroom and confronted the man with a gun. The man then grabbed the pastor's pistol and shot the two victims before stealing a car from the church's parking lot, Smith said.

Police chased down, shot and wounded the suspect as they arrested him in the city of Marshall, Smith said, adding that the suspect was now the subject of a capital murder investigation. He did not name the suspect or the pastor.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott had earlier said in a statement that his heart was with the victims and their families, and that the state would work to ensure justice is served.

(Reporting by Daniel Wallis; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Aurora Ellis)

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