A pastor was killed and two other church-goers were injured after a gunman entered Starrville Methodist Church.
What We Know:
- The shooting took place at about 9 am on Sunday morning at Starrville Methodist Church in Winona, Texas. According to the Washington Post, the suspect, 21-year-old Mytrez Woolen, had allegedly disarmed the pastor and began to open fire.
- This shooting incident happened after Woolen was involved in a high-speed chase and suspected of two drive-by shootings in a town 50 miles east of Winona. After blowing out a tire, Woolen escaped police on foot and snuck into the church to hide from authorities on Saturday night.
- Armed pastor Mark McWilliams, 62, first found Woolen hiding in a church bathroom stall and instructed him to lay on the floor until police arrived. After the pastor was distracted while talking with his wife, Woolen took the pastor’s gun and fatally shot him.
- When the chaos erupted, Woolen allegedly shot a churchgoer, that was running away from him, in the back and shoulder. Pastor McWilliams’s wife was also injured from a fall after the incident. Woolen then fled the scene by stealing the pastor’s pickup truck and the church’s bank bag. He was caught in a nearby town by Harrison County police.
As of now, Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith suspects Woolen could face one charge of capital murder and two cases of aggravated assault. He is currently being held at Smith County jail with a $3.5 million dollar bond. Smith describes the gunman’s motive as a “crime of opportunity” and is believed to be unrelated to religion.
