Selma pastor hailed a hero by law enforcement for disarming church gunman

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September 21, 2015

(Video Above: Selma Lt. Curtis Muhanned tells NBC News Pastor Earl Carswell is a hero for subduing a gunman in his congregation)

SELMA, Ala. — When a 26-year-old man opened fire in a church in Selma, Alabama, Sunday, pastor Earl Carswell jumped into action. Though he sustained a gunshot wound himself, Carlswell subdued the alleged gunman, forcing him to flee the church, where he was apprehended by police.

Now law enforcement officers are calling Carswell and other members of the church “heroes.”

“There were several heroes in there,” said Lt. Curtis Muhannad, of the Selma Police Department. “It takes a lot when you have someone with a firearm that’s actually firing upon a person in a closed-quarters area, and you do whatever you can with regards to your own life to protect someone else’s life.”

The suspect, James Junior Minter, allegedly entered the Oasis Tabernacle church Sunday, sitting with his girlfriend and infant son before pulling out a handgun and opening fire.

According to Selma police, the shooter’s 24-year-old girlfriend was shot in the shoulder and jaw and their 1-month-old son was shot in the hand, while Pastor Carswell was shot in the leg during the struggle.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that if they hadn’t responded as swiftly as they did, what happened this morning could have been deadly,” said Muhannad. “We’ve seen this happen so many times in our country.”

“A whole lot more people could have been shot,” added District Attorney Michael Jackson. “They all played a heroic role.”