Brazilian fatally stabs girlfriend, shoots 3 dead at church

RIO DE JANEIRO – Authorities in Brazil say a man knifed his girlfriend to death in her home then went to a Baptist church and opened fire with a pistol, killing three more people.

The gunman was then shot and wounded by military police at the church in Paracatu in Minais Gerais state. He was reported in serious condition at a hospital late Tuesday. Authorities identified him as 39-year-old Rudson Aragao Guimaraes.

The attack took place in the Bela Vista neighborhood of Paracatu, which is a city of 80,000 inhabitants.

Officials said a closed meeting of about 20 churchgoers was being held at the time of the shooting. Authorities did not provide a motive for the attack, but said the wounded man had been expelled by the church for "problems of behavior."