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• Pastor Fred Winters was shot and killed at the First Baptist Church in Maryville, Illinois, on March 8, 2009. The gunman reportedly walked down the aisle during the church service, shot Winters three times, then stabbed himself and two others.CNN.com: Church Pastor Killed During Service, Police Say

  OnMarch 9, 2009, 27-year-old Terry Joe Sedlacek was charged with the murder of Winters. Winters was severely injured when two churchgoers started wrestling with him and is in the hospital. The two other people were also injured, but their injures were not life-threatening.CNN: Suspect charged in pastor's shooting death (March 9, 2009) Fox News: Report: Illinois Church Gunman Was Mentally Ill (March 9, 2009)

• Fast Facts

  1. Pastor Fred Winters shot three times, killedCNN.com: Church Pastor Killed During Service, Police Say
  2. Gunman stabbed himself and two other parishionersCNN.com: Church Pastor Killed During Service, Police Say
  3. 27-year-old Terry Joe Sedlacek has been charged with the murder of WintersCNN: Suspect charged in pastor's shooting death (March 9, 2009)
  4. Sedlacek suffers from a mental illness related to Lyme diseaseCBS News: Preacher Slay Suspect Was Mentally Ill (March 9, 2009)
  5. Weapon, a .45-caliber pistol, reportedly jammed after shooting WintersCNN.com: Church Pastor Killed During Service, Police Say
  6. Occurred at the First Baptist Church in Maryville, IllinoisCNN.com: Church Pastor Killed During Service, Police Say
  7. Occurred at 8: 00 a.m. on March 8, 2009CNN.com: Church Pastor Killed During Service, Police Say
  8. Maryville, Illinois, is 10 miles east of St. Louis, MissouriCNN.com: Church Pastor Killed During Service, Police Say
  9. 150 church members were in attendance at the time of the shootingCNN.com: Church Pastor Killed During Service, Police Say
  10. Church has roughly 1,000 membersCNN.com: Church Pastor Killed During Service, Police Say
  11. First Baptist Church holds four services each SundayCNN.com: Church Pastor Killed During Service, Police Say

• Pastor Winters Killed

  According to a Maryville police dispatcher, the gunman was first spotted standing outside the church before the 8:00 a.m. service. Pastor Winters spoke to the man, asking if he needed any help. Once the service began, the shooter walked up the aisle of the sanctuary, approached Winters and fired three shots. His weapon, a .45-caliber pistol, then jammed. The gunman then pulled out a knife.MSNBC: Pastor Killed in Ill. Church Shooting

  Two parishioners tackled the gunman in an attempt to subdue him, and suffered knife wounds in the process.CNN.com: Church Pastor Killed During Service, Police Say

• Suspect

  Police named the suspect as Terry Joe Sedlacek, a man who his family says is mentally ill due to suffering from Lyme Disease.STLToday.com: Church shooting suspect has mental illness from Lyme disease (March 9, 2009) In August 2008, Sedlacek was featured in a local newspaper in a story about how the disease had affected his brain.CBS News: Preacher Slay Suspect Was Mentally Ill (March 9, 2009)

• Related Pages on Mahalo

  Fred Winters | Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church | Knoxville Church Shooting | Jim Adkisson | Terry Joe Sedlacek | Lyme Disease

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