Minister Shot To Death Outside Church After Service

An 86-year-old man was shot and killed Sunday shortly after he officiated church services.

The Rev. Wilfred L. Keele was shot in the chest after services at the Faith Bible Chapel. He died two hours later at Steele Memorial Hospital in Salmon. Minutes after the shooting, police and Lemhi County sheriff’s officers located the suspect, Dale Raymond Pilkerton, a short distance from the church.

Sheriff Brett Barsalou said Pilkerton, 39, was shot by officers after threatening police and refusing to drop his weapon.

He was taken to Steele Memorial Hospital and later flown to St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula, where he was listed in critical condition Sunday night.

Barsalou said Pilkerton is a California resident and had been in Salmon about two weeks.

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