Baptist Pastor Killed by Gunman during Sunday Morning Service

A lone gunman walked down the aisle at First Baptist Church in Maryville, Illinois and exchanged words with the pastor before drawing a gun and shooting him in the chest.

WASHINGTON (Catholic Online) - Pastor Fred Winters had just begun the 8:00 am Sunday Worship Service at First Baptist Church in Maryville, Illinois when a gunmen walked down the aisle and briefly exchanged words with the pastor before drawing a 45-caliber handgun, shooting him in the chest. The gun jammed before he could fire again.

The assailant then drew a knife and stabbed himself as members of the congregation wrestled him to the ground. Two parishioners were also stabbed by the man during the struggle.

Winters, who had been pastor at the church for 22 years, was taken to Anderson Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The gunman and one victim, 39-year-old Terry Bullard, were flown to St. Louis University Hospital. According to hospital spokeswoman Laura Keller, Bullard had undergone surgery for stab wounds and was listed in serious condition.

Keller also said that the gunman was undergoing surgery early Sunday afternoon but could not provide his name, condition, or type of injuries he had incurred.

The Rev. Mark Jones, an assistant pastor at First Baptist, told the Associated Press that he did not recognize the gunman, who he saw briefly before the shooting. He had gone into an adjoining room and said he heard something like firecrackers going off.

"We have no idea what this guy's motives were," Jones reported. "We don't know if we'll ever know that."

The church, located in a suburb 18 miles northeast of St. Louis, had grown from 30 to over 1500 members under the pastoral leadership of Winters, who is married and has two daughters. He was the former president of the Illinois Baptist State Association and served as an adjunct professor for Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

When notified of the shooting, Nate Adams, executive director of the Illinois Baptist State Association, issued a statement saying, "Our great God is not surprised by this, or anything. 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."

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