Eight dead in US Church massacre

Members of the church observe the Sabbath on Saturdays

Seven people have been shot dead and several others hurt by a gunman who opened fire at a US church service.

The gunman shot and killed himself after the shooting spree.

The incident happened at about 1300 (1900 GMT) on Saturday at the Sheraton Hotel in Brookfield, Wisconsin, where the service was regularly staged.

Four died at the scene and three others died later of their injuries, police said. They ranged in age from teenagers to over-60s.

Police said they were not seeking anyone else in connection with the shootings.

Motive unclear

The gunman was described as a 45-year-old man who had been affiliated with the Living Church of God, which met at the hotel every Saturday morning for several years.

Shocked survivors were eventually led from the hotel

The group is an evangelical church that observes the Sabbath on Saturday, not Sunday.

There was no immediate indication of a motive, Mr Tushaus said, adding that police were searching the man's home in the nearby area of New Berlin.

Two boys aged 15 and 17, a 72-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman died at the hotel. Three men ranging in age from 44 to 58 died later at a hospital, AP reported.

Four others - two men, a 20 year-old woman and a 10-year-old girl - remained in a serious condition in hospital.

Brookfield is a western suburb of the city of Milwaukee.

The Living Church of God says it operates in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia.

It has scores of ordained ministers and more than 200 congregations, it says.