KLTV said the man, who has not been identified, had been involved in a shooting incident the night before. Pastor McWilliams found Woolen hiding in the restroom and attempted to apprehend him with his gun.
"As the pastor opened the bathroom door, he was confronted by the individual, who had been hiding in the church", said Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith.
The pastor was armed and drew his weapon, but the suspect was able to take the gun and shoot him, Smith said. Woolen was previously unarmed.
There were two other individuals inside the church during the incident. It is not clear why police originally pursued the man, but Smith said the tags on the auto he crashed were fictitious. Law enforcement located the auto using Global Positioning System tracking and detained the suspect, who also had a gunshot wound. Woolen was later arrested after stealing McWilliams' pickup truck. He was treated at a local hospital, then booked into the Smith County Jail with a bond of $3.5 million. An officer had been around the church area until 10.30pm but the suspect was not found.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott expressed his condolences and vowed that "Texas will seek swift justice for the shooter".
Gov. Greg Abbott (R) released a statement regarding the innocent saying, "Our hearts are with the victims and the families of those killed or injured in this bad tragedy".
According to KXAN-TV, Woolen is now facing charges of aggravated assault, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and capital murder.
Representatives of Starrville Methodist could not be immediately reached for comment.
Numerous state troopers and sheriff's deputies could be seen outside the church, which was cordoned off with yellow tape late Sunday morning.
The shooting, at Starrville Methodist Church in Starrville, about 100 miles east of Dallas, occurred just after 9 a.m. when only about four people were in the church, authorities said.
.jpg)
