Man Shoots 2 Pastors Inside Fla. Church Before Being Tackled by Parishioners
Florida officials say a man burst through the doors of a Lakeland, Fla., church Sunday morning and shot the senior pastor and an associate pastor before worshippers rushed the man and tackled him to the ground.
Parishioners, who had just witnessed 57-year-old Jeremiah Fogel allegedly shoot Pastor William Boss and Associate Pastor Carl Stewart, held down the suspected gunman until sheriff's deputies arrived, reports Central Florida News 13 (CFN 13).
According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, Fogel had fatally shot a woman at a nearby home before making his way to Greater Faith Christian Church.
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Worshippers had just closed out a morning service and were preparing for a second gathering when the suspected gunman ran through the front door of the church shortly before 10 a.m. and started shooting, according eyewitness accounts.
CFN 13 reports that Boss, who was shot in the head, and Stewart were taken to Lakeland Regional Hospital. Boss' wound was not considered life-threatening, while Stewart was in critical condition and was undergoing surgery, the news station reports.
No other church members were hurt in the attack.
The Associated Press spoke with Bryan Neely, who owns a business a few blocks away from the small church.
"I've never heard of any problems there," Neely told the AP.
It was not immediately clear what Fogel's relationship might be to Greater Faith Christian Church or why he might have targeted Boss and Stewart.
Officials were still investigating what might have caused the attacks, and have yet to reveal the identity of the woman killed in her home.
Greater Faith Christian Church is located about 30 miles east of Tampa.
