Gunman shoots two in church

RICHMOND, Calif. – A gunman wearing a hooded sweatshirt and flanked by two companions walked into a San Francisco Bay Area church and stalked the aisles before opening fire during a Sunday service, wounding two teenagers, police said.

The three men wore their hoods over their heads and investigators believe they were scanning the pews for someone before firing about five shots and hitting a 14-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man at about 12:30 p.m. in front of about 100 people at New Gethsemane Church of God in Christ, Richmond police Sgt. Bisa French said.

Charles Miller, a deacon at the church, said members of the congregation were about to tell the men to take off their hoods when the shooting began.

“I was listening to the choir and all of a sudden there was a ‘pop pop pop pop pop,’ ” Miller said. “Everyone hit the floor. I didn’t know the shooting was inside the church at first, until I heard all of the hollering and screaming.”

The 14-year-old was hit in the shoulder and the 19-year-old was struck in the leg, French said. Both were hospitalized and were expected to survive. There were no other injuries.

No suspects have been arrested, French said.