A suspect in a Catholic supply shop who served as pastor

Years before sexually assaulting two women and killing a third at a Missouri Catholic supply store this week, Thomas Bruce was a pastor, shocking some who knew him during his service to the Church. 'church.

From 2003 to 2007, Bruce worked as a pastor for a few dozen people at Cape Girardeau's Calvary Chapel, according to David Fitzgerald, pastor of an affiliated church in St. Louis County, the St. Louis Post announced. -Dispatch.

He expressed his surprise at the crimes charged against Bruce.

"I did not know the character of Tom Bruce as a completely surprising character," he said. "If it was not for the amount of evidence against him, I would think that they were wrong."

The chapel where Bruce, 53, served was folded about 10 years ago, Fitzgerald said. He added that local pastors of Calvary Chapel met every few months and that he had last spoken to the suspect, the shooter three years ago.

Bruce's LinkedIn profile mentions a previous job at the Greater St. Louis Jewish Community Center and volunteer work at the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau, according to the newspaper.

He also claimed to have visited inmates at Cape Girardeau County Jail as a pastor from August 2005 to June 2007, although prison officials found no trace of his work at the time. prison, for whatever reason.

In a 2003 letter to the Missourian newspaper, published in the south-east of the country, he stressed his opposition to abortion and pleaded for a "powerful deterrent against horrible crimes."

"Until we decide to turn away from a selfish and selfish life and turn to the living God with a sincere and humble heart, there is no waiting, but to continue to deteriorate to an even more degraded level, "he wrote. "May God have mercy on us all."

On social media, Bruce violated gun control laws and was outspoken on political and social issues.

He is charged with first degree murder and several counts of sodomy, armed criminal acts, kidnapping, burglary and falsification of evidence.

Prosecutors believe that he forced three women who were in the supply store in a back room under gun threat and ordered them to undress. He would have forced two women to engage in sexual acts.

A 53-year-old woman, Jamie Schmidt, was shot in the head after refusing her claims, according to a statement of probable cause. She died later in a hospital.

"In my relationship with Tom, nothing in the past indicated this type of behavior," Fitzgerald said. "People are people, but I tend to keep ministry people at a higher level."

Associated Press contributed to this report.