One person was killed and two more were injured in a shooting at an Alabama church Thursday evening, authorities said, adding that a suspect was in custody.
Vestavia Hills Police Capt. Shane Ware said officers responded to reports of an active shooter at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, at about 6:22 p.m. local time.
“We know of no additional threats either to the community of Vestavia Hills or to the neighboring community of Mountain Brook,” Ware said.
Ware declined to release the identities of the victims or the suspect. He did not give further details about what happened or the extent of the injuries to the wounded.
According to the church’s website, there was a potluck scheduled between 5 and 7 p.m. Thursday. Rev. Kelley Hudlow, who works in the office of Bishop Glenda Curry of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama, told local station WVTM-13 that they are asking the community to come together in support of the victims and their loved ones.
“We’re Episcopalians; we believe in Jesus and we believe that prayer helps,” Hudlow said. “Currently we are praying for healing and safety for all those that have been impacted and affected.”
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Vestavia Hills, an affluent suburb of about 40,000 residents, is about 7 miles south of Birmingham, Alabama.
The FBI, ATF, and the U.S. Marshals Service are aiding in the investigation, Ware confirmed.
The Alabama shooting is the latest attack carried out at a place of worship. In May, one person was killed and five others were injured in a Southern California church shooting that authorities described as a “politically motivated hate incident” against the Taiwanese community.
It also comes after a spate of high-profile mass shootings throughout the country in recent weeks, including in Buffalo, New York, where 10 Black people were killed in a grocery store; Uvalde, Texas, where 19 children and two teachers were killed in an elementary school; and Tulsa, Oklahoma, where four people were killed in a medical facility.
Contributing: The Associated Press