The Selma man accused of shooting three people during Sunday morning worship at Oasis Tabernacle Church had bond set Monday at $3 million.

 

James Junior Minter, 26, was arrested Sunday after allegedly shooting his girlfriend, Sharnika Brown; their 1-month-old baby boy, Jamieyon Minter; and an assistant pastor at the East Selma church, Bob Carswell.

 

Authorities believe the shooting stemmed from a dispute over child visitation and ongoing domestic violence.

 

Minter has been charged with three counts of attempted murder.

 

Selma Police Department Lt. Curtis Muhannad said Minter entered the church and sat down between Brown and their son before pulling out a handgun.

 

“He took a seat on the bench on the front row with his family, and then he just got into it, pulled a weapon and started shooting,” Muhannad said.

 

Brown was shot in the jaw and shoulder, while the boy was shot in the hand. The weapon used has been described as a 38-caliber handgun.

 

Witnesses told police Carswell was able to grab Minter before being shot in the leg. Church members rushed to help out, subduing Minter and wrestling away the gun.

 

Minter eventually escaped without the weapon and fled the church on foot. He was captured less than a mile away by Selma Police Department officers.

 

According to District Attorney Michael Jackson, Brown and the child were taken to Birmingham hospitals. Carswell was treated at Vaughan Regional Medical Center.

 

Minter could be facing life in prison for each attempted murder charge. Jackson said he’s satisfied with the bond set by Circuit Court Judge Robert Armstrong because Minter has a history of domestic violence and is a flight risk.

 

“There used to be a time when the worst criminal would respect the church. They wouldn’t go into the church and do anything crazy, but those days are gone now,” Jackson said.

 

On Monday, Armstrong set bond at $3 million for Minter, whose mother, Rutha Minter, stood beside him briefly in court during an appearance Monday.

 

Later, outside court, the woman said the shooting was out of character for her son.

 

“He’s a good boy. He works very hard,” Rutha said.

 

Minter was arrested at least once before. Court records show he was charged with misdemeanor menacing after he was accused as part of a group of three men who stopped James Campbell, 19, while he walked through a neighborhood in Selma on Oct. 15, 2010.

 

Campbell said in a statement to police that one man held a gun on him and punched him in the face while Minter and another man also held guns on him. No charges were filed until Campbell told police about the incident seven months later, and the case was dismissed without prosecution on June 30, 2011.

 

Court records do not indicate why prosecutors threw out the case.

 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.