Gunman held after shooting in Alabama church leaves two dead

Thursday’s shooting took place just over a month after one person was killed and five others injured when a man opened fire on Taiwanese parishioners at a church in Southern California

Church members console each other after a shooting at the Saint Stevens Episcopal Church in Alabama (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

A single gunman opened fire inside a suburban Alabama church on Thursday evening, killing two people and wounding a third at a small group meeting before being taken into custody, authorities said.

The attack occurred at Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church in the Birmingham suburb of Vestavia Hills, said police captain Shane Ware. He said dispatchers got a call at around 6.20pm reporting an active shooter there.