wife at a nearby location, American officials and media said. The alleged gunman, identified as 25-year-old Anthony Bell, began shooting during a Sunday worship service of The Ministry of Jesus Christ church in the town of Baton Rouge, police said.
CHRISTIANS DEAD
Three were pronounced dead at the scene, and a fourth reportedly died in a hospital. Another shooting victim was taken to a hospital and was expected to recover, said local Police Chief Jeff LeDuff.
Following the shooting, the suspect dropped off two of his children at a family member’s residence and then drove off with his wife and a newborn child, he told reporters. Soon after he killed his wife, but the three children abducted with the woman were all found safe, LeDuff added.
Bell was reportedly captured about 90 minutes after the shooting at an apartment complex near the church. Officers found the woman dead and Bell holding the baby, police said. Bell was arrested without incident. “Officers were able to get close enough to ascertain that he was not armed at that point, and they were able to take the child into safety," said LeDuff .
"WORST DAY"
"This is going to be one of the worst days in the history of our city," Leduff added. Her name and those of the other victims were not immediately released. The motive behind the murders were not immediately clear. “This is senseless. This is a total waste of human life," Leduff said at a news conference.
The small church where the attack took place shares space in an old warehouse with a guitar shop in a non-residential area of Baton Rouge. Bell is believed to have entered and opened fire shortly before services were to end around 10 am, news reports said. At first, police said the three children belonged to the couple, but later explained it was unclear whether Bell was the father of all three.
The attack at the The Ministry of Jesus Christ was expected to fuel further an ongoing debate on guns in the United States. Several churches and schools in the US have been attacked for a variety of reasons by gunmen in recent years. (With BosNewsLife Research and reports from the United States).
