Shooting reported outside Ohio church; parishioner says man killed after Easter service
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Police in northeast Ohio are investigating a shooting outside a church that a parishioner says left one man dead after an Easter service.
Ashtabula police would not immediately confirm the fatality; an officer answering the telephone would say only that authorities were investigating.
A member of the Hiawatha Church of God in Christ said the man was shot soon after Easter services ended, around 1:15 p.m. Sunday. Joan Crockett said the man knew the shooter, and that a suspect was taken into custody. She said the wounded man died.
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The Plain Dealer newspaper in Cleveland reported that the church's pastor said congregants were leaving when they heard a gunshot.
"People pushed me into a back office and said, 'Somebody's here with a gun,'" said the Rev. David Howard Jr. "The guy was outside hollering and acting crazy."
There were no immediate reports of any other injuries.
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Howard said the church has about 175 members. He said people at the church didn't know what led up to the shooting.
"It's such a tragic loss," Crockett said.