A church pastor and two worshippers were killed on Sunday when a man armed with three guns opened fire on the congregation in Missouri, USA.

|PIC1|Numerous others in the congregation were injured in the shooting, which took place just before 2pm at the First Congregational Church in Neosho, approximately 300 miles south west of St Louis.

Rev Kernal Rehobson, 44, who led the church of mostly Micronesian worshippers was shot dead by the gunman, as were two male victims in the congregation who were acting as deacons for the church.

According to police reports, the gunman demanded that all children flee the church, before he briefly held dozens of others hostage within the chapel.

When police arrived on the scene, hostage negotiators conversed with the man for about 10 minutes before police broke through into the church via the basement and the gunman gave himself up.

Police Chief Dave McCracken said: "At the time that the rescue attempt was successful, we had approximately 20 people in the sanctuary still."

It is thought that the gunman was related to someone attending the church who has not yet been identified publicly.

The killer was armed with two small-caliber handguns and one 9 mm semiautomatic machine pistol, in an attack that has shocked the peaceful town.

Reports have described how members of the congregation fled, with many being injured, as shots were fired in the church.

Police have said that the number of people injured in the shooting was less than 10, and that they were taken by helicopter and ambulance to the local hospital.

Rev Rehobson, however, was shot several times and pronounced dead at the scene.

Police Chief McCracken could not confirm whether the gunman was an official member of the church, although he did say that a separate incident involving the suspect and a family attending the church at the time of the shooting was the catalyst for the attack.

The suspect has been detained in police custody pending charges.