Gunfire rings out during funeral, leaving two injured in Alabama, police say

A shooting during a service at a funeral home left two people wounded, according to Alabama authorities and news outlets.

Deputies and police officers responded to a report of a shooting at Cullman Funeral Home shortly after 10 a.m. on Feb. 13, according to a statement from Lt. Chad Whaley with the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office.

Two victims were found inside the funeral home and were taken to hospitals for treatment, Whaley wrote. They were in stable condition.

A funeral was taking place at the time of the shooting, AL.com reported.

“The information we have is, this was a family matter and the victims were family members here attending a service,” Cullman County District Attorney Champ Crocker told ABC 33 40.

Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry said during a news briefing posted on the sheriff’s office’s Facebook page that a suspect was arrested in the parking lot.

Whaley identified him as Orie Shannon McDearmond, 33. He is charged with two counts of aggravated assault/attempted murder and two counts of aggravated assault on family with a gun, according to Whaley. He is being held without bond.

“Pray for the family and all those that are going through this,” Gentry said during the briefing. “Anytime you have loss, and then an incident like this, it just compiles that.”

A message left at Cullman Funeral Home by McClatchy News was not immediately returned.

Cullman is about 50 miles north of Birmingham.

This story was originally published February 13, 2023 at 6:00 PM with the headline "Gunfire rings out during funeral, leaving two injured in Alabama, police say."