News / Society

One killed, six wounded in Tennessee church shooting

Sunday, 24 September 2017 6:18 PM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 27 September 2017 2:44 PM ]

Police and emergency services at the scene of a church shooting at the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch, Tennessee, September 24, 2017.

One person has been killed and seven others were wounded after a gunman opened fire inside a US church in Antioch, Tennessee.

The mass shooting took place shortly after 11 a.m. Sunday morning at the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ, according to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.

Nashville police said one woman died in the parking lot. The shooter was also shot and taken to a hospital.

"This is a mass casualty situation. All of the wounded have been transported to area hospitals. The majority are older adults," Nashville police said on Twitter.

At least six people were shot and taken to hospital, Joseph Pleasant, a spokesman for the Nashville Fire Department, confirmed.

"All of the wounded except of one is over the age of 60," the Tennessean newspaper reported, citing the Nashville Fire Department.

The gunman, described by police as a man in his mid-20s, arrived at the church's parking lot as a prayer service was letting out, said Don Aaron, spokesman for the police department.

He then fired "multiple rounds" at people in the building, Aaron said. Six people were wounded by gunfire and another was pistol whipped, he added.

Police said the investigation into the shooting is ongoing. Agents from the FBI's Memphis field office are on the scene providing assistance to local law enforcement, an FBI spokesperson told CNN.

Police at the scene of a church shooting at the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch, Tennessee, September 24, 2017.

Each year, more than 32,000 people die as a consequence of gun-related violence in the United States, which is by far the highest among industrialized countries, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Some experts say the NRA, one of the most influential lobbying groups in Washington, is largely responsible for the gun violence epidemic across the United States.

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