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Lakeland Gunman Arrested After Shooting In Church

LAKELAND (CBS4) – A gunman who wounded a pastor and associate pastor at a central Florida church has been taken into police custody.

According to police, 57-year-old Jeremiah Fogel had already killed one person when he burst through the doors of a central Florida church on Sunday and shot and wounded the pastor and associate pastor before parishioners tackled him, authorities said.

The bystanders held down the accused gunman until deputies arrived. No other church members were hurt.

The conditions of the pastor, William Boss, and associate pastor Carl Stewart were not immediately known. A morning church service had wrapped up and church members were preparing for the next service when the shooter came inside, the Polk County Sheriff's office said.

The two were shot at the Greater Faith Christian Church in Lakeland, about 30 miles east of Tampa. The person who was killed at the home was not yet identified.

The church, a red-brick building across the street from a mobile home park that also serves as a school, was blocked by yellow police tape Sunday.

Bryan Neely, who owns a motorcycle shop about two blocks away, said the church is relatively small and has an academy for schoolchildren.

"I've never heard of any problems there," Neely said.

Several police cars blocked off the street in front. Neighbors said ambulances and police cars rushed down the street of the normally quiet neighborhood when the shooting happened.

The suspect owned a limousine service that provided transportation to the airport and often worked outside with his wife, mowing the lawn and pulling weeds, neighbors said.

(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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