Newborn Baby Among Three Wounded In Alabama Church Shooting

By Marie Lodi  |  September 20, 2015 | 8:00pm
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A man has been arrested and charged with attempted murder after shooting three people at Oasis Tabernacle Church in East Selma, Alabama. James Minter allegedly shot his girlfriend, her newborn baby and the church pastor.

Dallas County District Attorney Michael Jackson told AP the shooting was not racially motivated and was due to domestic issues between Minter and his girlfriend. The pastor is white, and Minter, his girlfriend and the one-month old infant are black. According to Lt. Curtis Muhannad of the Selma Police Department, the motivation for the shooting may have had to do with visitation rights to the baby.

The shooting occurred around 10:25 a.m. during church service. From the Selma-Times Journal:

Minter was sitting on the front row with his family when he started shooting. The female was shot in the face and the shoulder, the child was shot in the hand and the preacher was shot in the leg. “He took a seat on the bench on the front row with his family, and then he just got into it, pulled a weapon and started shooting,” Muhannad said, adding the weapon Minter used was a handgun. The pastor was able to grab Minter as he was shot, and church members helped hold Minter down and take the gun from him.

Eventually Minter was able to get away, but was caught by police less than a mile from the church.

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