Shooting in Texas church leaves one dead, others wounded – governor

A shooting in a church in northeastern Texas has left one person dead and others wounded, US officials say.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott confirms in a statement that a suspect has been apprehended after the shooting in the Starrville Methodist Church in the town of Winona.

Few details are immediately confirmed, but ABC affiliate KLTV says the church’s pastor pulled his gun when he found a man hiding in a restroom. It says the man lunged at the pastor, grabbed the gun and shot him dead.

KLTV says the man, who has not been identified, was involved in a shooting incident the night before. It says he was shot and apprehended following a high-speed chase.

Abbott says the state will “ensure that justice is served and that the Starrville community has the resources it needs during this time.”

Winona lies about 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of Dallas; it has a population of about 525.

Texas has seen other church shootings in the past.

A shooting at a Baptist church in Sutherland Springs on November 5, 2017, left 26 people dead and 20 wounded; it was the worst mass shooting in state history. Shooter Devin Patrick Kelley was later found dead.

Gun laws in Texas are among the laxest in the US.

— AFP