The shooting appeared to be revenge for the killing last week of another clergyman in the same congregation, New England Pentecostal Ministries church in Pelham, New Hampshire, about 30 miles north of Boston.
The gunman Saturday was identified by law enforcement officials as Dale Holloway, 37, who, according to obituary information, is the stepson of Luis Garcia, an ordained minister who was fatally shot at his Londonderry, New Hampshire, home Oct. 1.
Brandon Castiglione, 24, was charged with second-degree murder in the death of Garcia, for whom a memorial service had been scheduled at the church after Saturday’s wedding.
Castiglione’s father, Mark Castiglione, 60, was the groom, according to the authorities.
He was treated at a local hospital and released after being struck in the head with an unspecified object.
The most grave injury Saturday was suffered by Bishop Stanley Choate, who the authorities said was shot in the chest and was in serious condition at Tufts Medical Center in Boston.
The bride, Claire McMullen, 60, was in good condition after being shot in the arm, according to Benjamin Agati, a senior assistant state attorney general, who said during a news conference that the first 911 call came in at 10:12 a.m. from a person at the church.
“Preliminary investigation of the matter indicates that this incident does not appear to be a random event,” Agati said.
Holloway was charged with first-degree assault and was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in Hillsborough County Superior Court in Nashua, New Hampshire, Agati said, adding that additional charges were possible.
Wedding guests had the gunman pinned down when officers arrived, Chief Joseph Roark of the Pelham Police Department said at a news conference Saturday afternoon. The suspect used a handgun, the police said.
Darius Mitchell, who said his family was close with Choate, said the church and its bishop were well known in the African American community of Lowell, Massachusetts, which is about 10 miles away.
This article originally appeared in
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