Active shooter at Vestavia Hills church leaves 2 dead and 1 hurt during St Stephen’s Episcopal potluck dinner

TWO people are dead and another is hurt after cops rushed to the scene of an active shooter at an Alabama church on Thursday, June 16, 2022.

Police say a lone gunman walked into a small group meeting at St Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Vestavia Hills and opened fire.

The chaos unfolded just after 6.20pm local time when calls started coming in about an active shooter at the church.

Police found three victims.

Officers initially reported that two people were fighting for their lives after being brought to local hospitals.

Vestavia Hills Police Captain Shane Ware said in an update that one of the surviving victims died, bringing the death toll to two.

The third victim is being treated for an unknown injury at UAB Hospital in Birmingham, Ware said late Thursday.

The suspected shooter was in police custody, though no further details were released about the individual.

A motive has not yet been revealed and it's unclear how police were able to take down the suspect, who has not been named.

Police declined to take questions at brief news conferences at the scene.

A number of law enforcement agencies were on hand assisting local police, in addition to neighboring fire departments.

“We know of no additional threat to either the community of Vestavia Hills or our neighboring community of Mountain Brook,” the police captain told reporters just after 8pm.

The investigation remained active as of late Thursday.

Traffic was moving slowly through the area and residents were urged to avoid roads near the site of the tragedy.