A Florida pastor returned fire wounding his church janitor Benjamin Parangan after an exchange of gunshots on December 30. The shootout happened inside Living Water Fellowship in Osceola County, Florida.
Pastor Terry Howell and Parangan are under investigation while detectives identified at least two people who witnessed the shooting.
According to a local official's report, Pastor Howell met Parangan that day with the intent of letting him go after serving nine years as a church maintenance worker.
Parangan apparently pulled out his gun and fired multiple shots at Pastor Howell who in turn pulled his own gun, hitting Parangan.
Pastor Howell was not hurt but Parangan was taken to Osceola Regional Medical Center and is currently in a stable condition. A spokesperson from the Sheriff's Office says Parangan will be sent to jail after his hospital release and will be charged with aggravated assault with intent to kill.
Meanwhile, investigators are treating Pastor Howell's involvement on the shooting as self-defense with pending criminal charges. Both men have concealed weapon permits.
There is a childcare facility on campus but it was not affected by the incident. Parents were notified immediately to pick up their kids on the day of the shooting.
In an interview with Fox 35 news, a neighbour of the 1,000-member Poinciana church who also knows Parangan and attended services told reporters that she liked Pastor Howell and his wife.
"They're really nice people, and I like that church environment, and they are welcoming people," she said. "They are very humble."
Pastor Howell is not talking to the media but church members released this statement last Tuesday: "We are in full support of the on-going Osceola County Sheriff's Office investigation into the traumatic incident that occurred at our Church this morning.
"We will continue to cooperate with the investigators in every way that we can. Until the investigation is complete, we will not be making any public statements. Thank you for understanding.
"The members of our Church will continue to pray for all those involved in this morning's incident. We would ask all who read this release to do the same."
