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| James Minter |
A pastor and
members of his congregation have been hailed as "heroes" for
disarming an alleged gunman who police say attempted to kill his girlfriend and
infant son inside an Alabama
church.
Pastor Earl
Carswell was shot and injured while subduing 26-year-old suspect James Junior
Minter, who allegedly opened fire Sunday at the Oasis
Tabernacle Church
in Selma.
"There were
several heroes in there," Lt. Curtis Muhannad, of the Selma Police
Department, told reporters.
"It takes a
lot when you have someone with a firearm that's actually firing upon a person
in a closed-quarters area, and you do whatever you can with regards to your own
life to protect someone else's life."
James Junior
Minter, 26, was charged with attempted murder after allegedly shooting his
girlfriend, their infant son and a pastor during a church service.
Members of the
congregation said Minter walked into the church Sunday morning and sat down
between his girlfriend and their infant son in the front row before pulling out
a handgun and opening fire, according to the police statement.
The pastor and
others in the church were able to subdue Minter before the suspect fled, police
added. Minter was later captured by officers less than a mile from the church
and arrested on suspicion of three counts of attempted murder, according to a
statement from Selma Police Department.
Minter's
24-year-old girlfriend was shot in the shoulder and jaw and the couple's
1-month-old son was shot in the hand, police said. Pastor Carswell, 61, was
shot in the leg while trying to grab the alleged shooter, police added.
Minter's
girlfriend and child have not been identified by police. Detectives were
working on child visitation issues and domestic violence as a possible motive,
according to the Selma Police Department.
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