Suspect in Alabama church shooting occasionally went to scene, police say

The US added 13 mass shootings last weekend 2:40 (CNN) –– A 71-year-old man who fatally shot two elderly men and wounded one more during a shooting at the meeting of a religious group in Alabama in Thursday night he was held by another person at the scene until police arrived, authorities said Friday. The suspect, whom police have arrested but have not publicly identified, claimed the lives of Walter Rainey, 84, and Sarah Yeager, 75, during a small group dinner at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Vestavia. Hills, just outside Birmingham, police said. The third victim who was shot, an 84-year-old woman whose name has not been released, is being treated at a hospital, Vestavia Hills Police Capt. Shane Ware said. The suspect was occasionally attending church and was at dinner when he pulled out a gun and started shooting, according to Ware. The church in Vestavia Hills is approximately 8 miles drive from downtown Birmingham. (Credit: AP Photo/Butch Dill) Someone at the event “subdued the suspect and held him down until police arrived,” Ware added. According to the official’s report, police received a call at 6:22 pm “The person who restrained him is a hero,” Ware said. The suspect was in custody as of Friday morning at the Vestavia Hills, Alabama Police Department. Arrest warrants are expected to be issued later charging him with murder, Ware said. Investigators believe the suspect acted alone and are trying to determine a motive, the captain continued. This is the most recent shooting at a US house of worship and it occurred on the eve of the seventh anniversary of the massacre at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. A mass shooting last month during a Taiwanese church service in Southern California, along with the massacre at a Texas elementary school and a New York supermarket, have drawn more political attention to gun violence. A bipartisan group of senators announced an agreement in principle on gun safety legislation, which seeks to address mental health resources, school safety and access to firearms. Raja Razek, Andy Rose and Aya Elamroussi, all of CNN, contributed to this report.