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A man arrested Wednesday and charged with the fatal shooting of a prayer leader at World Changers Church International pleaded guilty to shooting a man a decade ago in Baltimore and was committed to a mental health facility there.

Floyd Palmer, 52, calmly walked into a prayer service Wednesday morning at the College Park megachurch founded by the Rev. Creflo Dollar and opened fire as 20 to 25 people watched in horror. Greg McDowell, 39, fell mortally wounded and Palmer, a former church employee, “left just as calmly” as he entered, Fulton County police spokeswoman Cpl. Kay Lester said.

The suspect left in a black Subaru station wagon and was in the vortex of a massive police search until he was arrested without incident at Lenox Square in Buckhead just before 4 p.m.

Palmer, who resigned from the church in August for personal reasons, had been charged previously with attempted murder. In 2004 he pleaded guilty to assault charges and was deemed “not criminally responsible” and was committed, according to Maryland court records. Other records indicate that shooting occurred in 2001.

Christine Singleterry, Palmer’s former mother-in-law, said Palmer shot a man following an argument at a Baltimore mosque. “He got him to go outside and then shot him in the parking lot,” said Singleterry. She said he served about 18 months in the mental facility and was released. She said the victim remains paralyzed.

Singleterry said her daughter, who is now deceased, divorced Palmer in the 1990s because he was abusive. They had two daughters who are now grown.

“He was mixed up and argumentative,” she said. Family members said he moved to Atlanta several years ago.

Mack Simpson, who is married to Palmer’s sister, was shocked to hear the news. “That’s a shame,” he said. “This is the second time.”

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article courtesy of ajc.com

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