Pastor Wields Pistol After Fired Church Employee Reportedly Starts Shooting — and the Gunfight Doesn't End Well for the Purported Perpetrator

A gunfight reportedly broke out between a pastor and a longtime church employee inside of a Florida house of worship Tuesday after the preacher told the man he was being dismissed from his position.

The clash unfolded around 8 a.m. at Living Water Fellowship Church in Kissimmee, Florida, after Pastor Terry Howell, 61, informed Benjamin Parangan, a 47-year-old maintenance worker, that he would no longer be employed at the church, according to the Associated Press.

Witnesses claim Parangan, who had worked at Living Water Fellowship for eight years, pulled a gun and began shooting at the preacher. After he missed, Howell — who wasn't hurt during the alleged attack — used his own pistol to defend himself and return fire, critically injuring his former employee.

Parangan, who is currently in stable condition, has been charged with aggravated assault with intent to kill and additional charges are pending, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

"We are in full support of the ongoing Osceola County Sheriff's Office investigation into the traumatic incident that occurred at our church this morning," Howell said in a statement issued through the local sheriff's office. "We will continue to cooperate with the investigators in every way that we can."

In addition to adult witnesses who saw the shootout, there were 16 children attending school in the building the morning of the shooting; all were unharmed, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

The incident is being investigated as a case involving self-defense.

(H/T: Orlando Sentinel)