Two people have died and multiple others have been injured after a shooting at a church in Alabama.
The shooting took place at St Stephen's Episcopal Church, in Vestavia Hills, with police confirming "multiple" people were injured.
Emergency services were called to the church at around 6.22pm local time and quickly evacuated people out of the building.
The incident happened during a “Boomers Potluck” dinner that started at 5pm at the church which is in a quiet and affluent area.
Police have said that the suspected shooter is now in custody but the scene is still active.
"About 6.22pm Vestavia Police received a call of an active shooter at St Stephen's Episcopal Church," said a police spokesman.
"Multiple police and fire departments responded to the scene and at this time we have multiple people who have been shot, the suspect is in custody, and the scene is still active."
Later the spokesman said: "Three people were shot at an incident at the church two of them are being treated at a local hospital and the other is sadly deceased."
Then a further update revealed that one of the people taken to hospital had also died.
“A lone suspect entered a small group church meeting and began shooting. Three shot. Two people deceased. One receiving treatment at hospital,” said the police spokesman.
"Now two of the three people shot are dead."
Images from the scene show a huge police presence by the church and the road blocked off.
It is the latest shooting incident in the United States where a debate is raging over the availability of guns for members of the public.
Last week US law makers responded to the recent shootings by voting to set a minimum age of 21 for buying semi-automatic weapons.
The United States House of Representatives vote was part of a wide-ranging gun control bill passed, which proposes raising the minimum age for purchasing a semi-automatic rifle and bans selling ammunition magazines that have a capacity of over 15 rounds.
The vote was passed by 223-204, while the section dealing with the minimum age for semi-automatic weapons went through 228-199.
The Bill will not necessarily become law, Senate negotiations between Republicans and Democrats have been concentrating on other measures to potentially reduce gun violence such as better mental health programmes, improving security at school settings and enhancing background checks.
The Bill is likely to face opposition from Republicans in the Senate, although it could well provide Democratic politicians a chance to appeal to voters in November when they can point to their commitment to tighter gun laws, a policy that recent polls have suggested would be popular.
It is only a few weeks since the killing of 19 children and two teachers at a school in Uvalde, Texas, and the House committee heard devastating accounts from victims and relatives of recent shootings.
