Five people were killed and five others wounded in two separate shootings at Christian centers in Colorado, authorities said.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado: Five people were killed and five others wounded in two separate shootings at Christian centers in Colorado, authorities said, as the death toll rose Monday in cases which police said are probably linked.
The first shooting occurred in the Denver suburb of Arvada early Sunday when a young gunman opened fire at a Christian missionary center. Two staff members in their mid-20s were killed and two others wounded.
The gunman fled before authorities reached the scene.
Hours later a person was shot dead near the New Life church in Colorado Springs and the shooter was then killed by a security guard. Another person caught in this attack died late on Sunday, local Penrose St Francis Hospital spokeswoman Amy Sufak said.
When police arrived "they found that the active shooter had been shot by a security staff member of the church," City Police Chief Richard Meyers said. "A courageous security staff member who probably saved many lives today."
It was unclear if the shootings were related, but Arvada Police Chief Don Wick said such a link was possible.
"Yes, there's a reason to believe that," Wick told reporters. He did not elaborate.
The two shootings took place 120 kilometers (75 miles) apart -- a one-and-a-half hour drive.
Thousands of people were near the New Life Church, an evangelical congregation of about 10,000 members, at the time of the shooting.
"It's a sad day and a tragic day in Colorado Springs," said Mayor Lionel Rivera. "This is not the kind of things you expect in our community."
The church pastor, Brady Boyd, saw the shooting from his office. "What I experienced from my window was surreal," he said.
Congregants "came to church to worship, what happened today was a tragedy," said Boyd. "It's unfortunate that we live in a society where this happens, but it does."
The New Life Church made headlines in 2006 when its founder, Ted Haggard, resigned as a pastor after admitting to what he called "sexual immorality."
Haggard was a vocal supporter of President George W. Bush in 2004 and helped turn Colorado Springs into a major evangelical center.
However, Haggard's successor Brady Boyd made it clear he was not interested in getting involved in national politics. It was not immediately clear if this change of focus had anything to do with Sunday's incident.
The Colorado shootings came just days after a teenager armed with a semi-automatic rifle opened fire on Christmas shoppers at an Omaha shopping mall in Nebraska on Wednesday, killing at least eight people before turning the gun on himself.
Last week's mall rampage in Nebraska had already revived debate about gun crime in the United States, which authorities say is home to more than 200 million privately owned firearms for a population of just over 300 million.
This year also saw the worst ever school shooting in the United States, when a deranged student killed 32 classmates and staff at Virginia Tech university.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}