Photo: AP Photo/Butch DillA Thursday night shooting at a church event near Birmingham, Alabama suburb left two people dead and one injured.A suspect is in custody, the Vestavia Hills Police Department announced onFacebooklast night. The department also said that the surviving victim has been hospitalized for whatAL.comdescribed as “serious” injuries.The shooting was reported to police at 6:22 p.m. Thursday, according to police, during a potluck dinner event that St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Vestavia Hills. Church rector the Rev. John Burruss confirmed in astatementthat the shooting happened at the Boomers Potluck get-together.A “lone suspect” entered the small church gathering and shot three people, police said viaAL.com. One person was pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting, while two others were taken to the UAB Hospital. There, one of the victims died from their injuries.AP Photo/Butch DillIn a video statement posted to thechurch’s Facebook pageThursday, Burruss said he and other members of the church community are currently on a church pilgrimage in Athens, Greece, and that he is working to return to Vestavia Hills as soon as possible.“Our hearts are broken from the horrible tragedy this evening at Saint Stephen’s,” the reverend wrote. “More than anything, I ask your prayers for our community, especially those who are injured and the families of the deceased.Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.“These are the pillars of our community, and I cannot begin to fathom how painful this is for our entire church, and the larger community,” he continued. “There is much that will be shared in the coming days and weeks as we look to gather and process this tragic event.“A number of police and fire departments, including the FBI, US Marshals Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, as well as neighboring county sheriff’s offices responded to the shooting, police said.The Vestavia Hills Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.“I am glad to hear the shooter is in custody,” Alabama governor Kay Ivey said in a statement toAL.com. “This should never happen — in a church, in a store, in the city or anywhere. We continue to closely monitor the situation.““A lot of people are going to be hurting, not just people who have been physically injured, but this is a scary thing when it happens,” the Rev. Kelley Hudlow, missioner of clergy formation for the Diocese of Alabama, toldWVTM. “What we need is for this community to do what it’s really good at, which is coming together to take of each other.“The Vestavia Hills Police Department is expected to share more updates on the situation on Friday morning.According toGun Violence Archive, there have been 268 mass shootings in the United States in 2022.
Photo: AP Photo/Butch Dill
A Thursday night shooting at a church event near Birmingham, Alabama suburb left two people dead and one injured.A suspect is in custody, the Vestavia Hills Police Department announced onFacebooklast night. The department also said that the surviving victim has been hospitalized for whatAL.comdescribed as “serious” injuries.The shooting was reported to police at 6:22 p.m. Thursday, according to police, during a potluck dinner event that St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Vestavia Hills. Church rector the Rev. John Burruss confirmed in astatementthat the shooting happened at the Boomers Potluck get-together.A “lone suspect” entered the small church gathering and shot three people, police said viaAL.com. One person was pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting, while two others were taken to the UAB Hospital. There, one of the victims died from their injuries.AP Photo/Butch DillIn a video statement posted to thechurch’s Facebook pageThursday, Burruss said he and other members of the church community are currently on a church pilgrimage in Athens, Greece, and that he is working to return to Vestavia Hills as soon as possible.“Our hearts are broken from the horrible tragedy this evening at Saint Stephen’s,” the reverend wrote. “More than anything, I ask your prayers for our community, especially those who are injured and the families of the deceased.Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.“These are the pillars of our community, and I cannot begin to fathom how painful this is for our entire church, and the larger community,” he continued. “There is much that will be shared in the coming days and weeks as we look to gather and process this tragic event.“A number of police and fire departments, including the FBI, US Marshals Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, as well as neighboring county sheriff’s offices responded to the shooting, police said.The Vestavia Hills Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.“I am glad to hear the shooter is in custody,” Alabama governor Kay Ivey said in a statement toAL.com. “This should never happen — in a church, in a store, in the city or anywhere. We continue to closely monitor the situation.““A lot of people are going to be hurting, not just people who have been physically injured, but this is a scary thing when it happens,” the Rev. Kelley Hudlow, missioner of clergy formation for the Diocese of Alabama, toldWVTM. “What we need is for this community to do what it’s really good at, which is coming together to take of each other.“The Vestavia Hills Police Department is expected to share more updates on the situation on Friday morning.According toGun Violence Archive, there have been 268 mass shootings in the United States in 2022.
A Thursday night shooting at a church event near Birmingham, Alabama suburb left two people dead and one injured.
A suspect is in custody, the Vestavia Hills Police Department announced onFacebooklast night. The department also said that the surviving victim has been hospitalized for whatAL.comdescribed as “serious” injuries.
The shooting was reported to police at 6:22 p.m. Thursday, according to police, during a potluck dinner event that St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Vestavia Hills. Church rector the Rev. John Burruss confirmed in astatementthat the shooting happened at the Boomers Potluck get-together.
A “lone suspect” entered the small church gathering and shot three people, police said viaAL.com. One person was pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting, while two others were taken to the UAB Hospital. There, one of the victims died from their injuries.
AP Photo/Butch Dill
In a video statement posted to thechurch’s Facebook pageThursday, Burruss said he and other members of the church community are currently on a church pilgrimage in Athens, Greece, and that he is working to return to Vestavia Hills as soon as possible.
“Our hearts are broken from the horrible tragedy this evening at Saint Stephen’s,” the reverend wrote. “More than anything, I ask your prayers for our community, especially those who are injured and the families of the deceased.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
“These are the pillars of our community, and I cannot begin to fathom how painful this is for our entire church, and the larger community,” he continued. “There is much that will be shared in the coming days and weeks as we look to gather and process this tragic event.”
A number of police and fire departments, including the FBI, US Marshals Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, as well as neighboring county sheriff’s offices responded to the shooting, police said.
The Vestavia Hills Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
“I am glad to hear the shooter is in custody,” Alabama governor Kay Ivey said in a statement toAL.com. “This should never happen — in a church, in a store, in the city or anywhere. We continue to closely monitor the situation.”
“A lot of people are going to be hurting, not just people who have been physically injured, but this is a scary thing when it happens,” the Rev. Kelley Hudlow, missioner of clergy formation for the Diocese of Alabama, toldWVTM. “What we need is for this community to do what it’s really good at, which is coming together to take of each other.”
The Vestavia Hills Police Department is expected to share more updates on the situation on Friday morning.
According toGun Violence Archive, there have been 268 mass shootings in the United States in 2022.
source: people.com
