A witness to a shooting that killed three at an Alabama church says the gunman had sat by himself, drinking liquor and rejecting offers to join the others gathered at the potluck dinner.

Officials say two people were killed and one was person was hurt after a church shooting took place in Vestavia Hills, Alabama.

Police say a lone suspect fired on a small group meeting at a church near one of Alabama’s major cities, fatally wounding two people and injuring a third victim.

WINONA, Texas – A 21-year-old man who hid from police in an East Texas church was charged with first-degree murder and felony assault in a shooting that left the pastor dead and two other people injured Sunday, a local sheriff said. Authorities believe the suspect, identified as 21-year-old Mytrez Deunte Woolen of Marshall, Texas, broke into the church after police had left the area around 2 a.m. Sunday. Pastor Mark Allen McWilliams, 62, drew a gun and ordered Woolen to stop, Smith said, but Woolen grabbed the weapon and began shooting with it. Smith said the pastor, his wife and two other people were in the church at the time. It's unclear exactly when Woolen entered the church in Starrville, near Winona, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of Dallas.