Church slayings
The week's news at a glance.
Baton Rouge, La.
A 25-year-old man went on a shooting rampage at a small church this week, killing four of his estranged wife’s relatives before abducting her and three children. The woman, Erica Bell, was later found dead in her apartment, killed by a gunshot wound; the children, including an infant, were unharmed. The suspect, Anthony Bell, turned himself in to authorities. Two of the dead were Erica’s grandparents, while her mother, church pastor Claudia Brown, was wounded but was expected to survive. Brown’s brother Jeffery Howard said that Anthony had been in and out of Erica’s life. “She was getting on with her life and wanted to keep worshipping and following God, and he just wanted to run on the streets,” Howard said.
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