Husband shoots wife at Calvary Lutheran Church in Federal Way, Washington

A Washington woman who was seeking marital counsel from her minister was shot and killed by her husband inside the Lutheran church.

Federal Way police said the 38-year-old woman and her husband were at the Calvary Lutheran Church around 6:00 p.m. Wednesday when the 42-year-old husband, whose identity has not yet been released, shot and killed his wife during a counseling session.

Authorities say the man then dialed 911 and waited for the police to arrive and then confessed to killing the woman, whose identity also has not yet been released.

It is unclear what lead to the shooting, but it is obvious that the couple was not getting along if they were seeking marital counseling.

Charles Parsons wanted to reconcile with his ex-wife, Carol.

And when she refused, Parsons shot her five times during a counseling session at a Federal Way Lutheran church, according to court documents released Friday. He was charged Friday with first-degree murder/domestic violence.

Parsons walked outside after leaving his ex-wife to die, put his .45-caliber pistol on the hood of his trunk and called 911, saying he had “shot (his) wife in a counseling session in a fit of rage,” authorities said.

Then the 41-year-old Lakewood man lay his 6-foot- 3 inch, 365-pound frame on the ground to wait for police.

Federal Way police Det. Douglas Deyo wrote in court documents that Parsons and his wife had been married for 12 years and had three young children. They had been divorced for a year, but Charles Parsons want to get back together with his wife.

That brought them to the marriage-counseling session Wednesday at Calvary Lutheran Church at 2415 S. 320th St. in Federal Way.

Not all deadly force situations require a deadly force response. On Tuesday February 23rd a 32 year old man walked into a middle school parking lot and began to shoot at teenagers and staff with a high-powered bolt action riffle. It was then that a teacher tackled the gunman. “Benke confronted the 32-year-old gunman, tackled him and pinned him to the ground with the help of another teacher, stopping what could have been a much more violent encounter in a city all too familiar with tragic school shootings.” the Associated Press reports. AP also reports “Police said they aren’t immediately sure about what motivated Bruco Strongeagle Eastwood to target Deer Creek Middle School just after classes had ended for the day. Eastwood has an arrest record in Colorado dating back to 1996 for menacing, assault, domestic violence and driving under the influence, and he is believed to have a history of mental issues.

Jefferson County Sheriff Ted Mink praised Benke and called him a hero, and the math teacher’s status seems to be growing by the minute. A Facebook page called “Dr. David Benke.. A TRUE hero!” quickly picked up more than 1,000 fans by Wednesday morning.”

Making the decision to confront and disarm the gunman made Bebke a instant hero.