Deacon Accused of Shooting Pastor During Service
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Thinkstock/Getty Images(LAKE CHARLES, La.) — A Louisiana church deacon has been charged with murder after he allegedly shot the church pastor twice while he was preaching to his congregation.
Ronald J. Harris Sr. a pastor for the Tabernacle of Praise Worship Center, was killed during a Friday night revival service in front of more than 60 congregants, including his wife.
According to police, Woodrow Karey entered the church during the service and initially shot Harris with a shotgun. After striking Harris, Karey shot him again at close range before fleeing.
Kim Myers, the public information officer for the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office, said Karey fled on foot to the end of the street and then called the sheriff’s department to turn himself in.
“We arrested him without incident. … He called within minutes [of the shooting],” Myers told ABCNews.com.
After deputies arrived, Karey showed them the shotgun allegedly used in the shooting in addition to a .22-caliber pistol that he had hidden in a wooded area. He was arrested without incident.
Police are still investigating a motive for the shooting, Myers said.
Karey, who was a deacon at the church, was arrested on second-degree murder and held on $1,000,000 bail.
According to police he has no previous arrest record.
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