Man, woman wrestling over gun at Alabama church both get shot

Published 9:26 pm Monday, August 9, 2021

A gun went off in an Alabama church as a man tried to disarm a woman, wounding them both, police said.

Linda Walker entered the sanctuary of Amity Baptist Church in Mobile with a gun after services ended Sunday, Officer Katrina H. Frazier told al.com.

Walker, 58, aimed the weapon at the unidentified man and another person, Frazier said. When the man tried to take the gun away, it went off, sending a bullet through Walker’s right arm and into the man’s right leg, Frazier said. Both were brought to hospitals with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening.

After her release, Walker will be taken to jail on charges of domestic violence and lack of a pistol permit, Frazier said.

Only a few people were in the church’s sanctuary at the time of the shooting, the officer said.

Deacon Thomas Young told WKRG-TV that other members of the congregation were in the back of the building when they heard gunshots. They were preparing for the church’s 100th anniversary celebration, which was called off after the shooting.

“We were supposed to be having a glorious time today, but, you know, the devil’s busy,” Young said Sunday. “You can’t even go to church and have a good time.”