Mental Competency An Issue In Church Shooting Case

ATLANTA (AP) - The lawyer for a man accused of gunning down a volunteer during a prayer service at a Georgia megachurch says the issue of his client's mental competency must be addressed. Attorney Drew Findling said before a Friday court hearing that Floyd Palmer's competency must be evaluated as the criminal case against him moves forward.

Police say Palmer walked into a chapel last month, approached 39-year-old Greg McDowell and shot him to death at World Changers Church International outside Atlanta. McDowell was killed as he led a prayer group. No one else was hurt. Police records show that Palmer was charged more than a decade ago with a shooting outside a Maryland mosque. Palmer was committed to a psychiatric hospital in 2004 after pleading not criminally responsible to the mosque shooting.