Originally published on January 11, 2014

A 34-year-old evangelical pastor was shot and killed in a church in Belo Horizonte, Brazil on Friday morning, according to the BBC.

Two gunmen entered the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God in the middle-class neighborhood of Céu Azul. They found Souza in an office in the church and evidence suggests that a struggle ensued. Souza suffered a gunshot wound to the head.

Witnesses said the two gun then fled the church in a Volkswagen Gol parked on the street in front of the church. According to local reports, the vehicle belonged to either the church or Souza himself.

First responders were dispatched to the scene and Souza was taken to a nearby hospital where he later succumbed to his wounds.

The motive of the attack is unclear. Local reports suggest the men may have wanted to rob the church, though according to the BBC, police said there was nothing to indicate a robbery attempt. According to Brazilian news source, O Tempo, a witness who had been among the first to help Souza said that furniture in his office had been overturned, possibly the result of Souza attempting to stop the men.

Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais, is Brazil's sixth largest city, with a population of nearly 2.5 million.

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