“The person that subdued the suspect, in my opinion, was a hero,” Vestavia Hills police Capt. Shane Ware told reporters a news conference Friday, saying that act was “extremely critical in saving lives.”
The church had been closed off for several days as a crime scene, but the congregation returned Sunday for worship services with a message of choosing love over hate.
The Rev. John Burruss, the rector of St. Stephen’s, invoked the Christian story of the last supper, where Jesus invited the friend who would ultimately betray him.
“There is not a doubt in my mind that Bart and Sharon and Jane would invite their Judas again and again to sit down and share a meal, because they knew God’s unconditional love,” he said, using the first names that the three victims went by.
“It was their guiding ethic and they fully embodied it. … They taught us that all are welcome at the table,” Burruss said.
This article originally appeared on APNews.com.
