CHICAGO (AFP) - A gunman opened fire at an Illinois church Sunday, killing the pastor and wounding several parishioners, according to US media. The gunman opened fire at First Baptist Church in Maryville, Illinois, shooting senior pastor Fred Winters three times, Fox News reported. Winters died of a gunshot wound to his chest. Six people were taken to area hospitals with gunshot wounds, the network said. The attacker, whose identity has not been released, was in custody at a St Louis, Missouri hospital, where he was being treated in serious condition for self-inflicted stab wounds, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. The shooting began shortly after the Sunday church service began at 8:15 am (1315 GMT) with about 150 people in attendance. The assailant then walked down the aisle and up to the pulpit, where he spoke with Winters and shot him, Illinois state police told the newspaper.