Bail At $5M In Federal Way Church Shooting

A man who police said gunned down his wife during a counseling session inside a Federal Way church waived his right to appear in court Thursday.

The shooting happened shortly before 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Calvary Lutheran Church in the 2400 block of South 320th Street.

According to probable cause documents, Charles Parsons, 42, and his wife Carol Parsons were attending a couples counseling session at the church. Charles stood up and began to leave the room when he turned and pointed the gun at his wife. Charles also pointed the gun at the counselor and told him not to move, documents said.

He then turned the gun back toward Carol and documents said he shot her at least three times.

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Charles then called police and told the dispatcher that he shot his wife, documents said. He put the gun on the hood of his truck and told the dispatcher he was laying on the ground.

Federal Way police Officer Raymond Bunk said Parsons surrendered to police once they arrived.

The victim was transported to Harborview Medical Center, where she later died

WATCH IT: Neighbors Say Couple Had History Of Violence

KIRO 7 Eyewitness News video showed items on the hood of a truck in the parking lot including an automatic pistol, a clip for the pistol, ammunition, a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. A hat and an open cell phone were on the ground in front of the truck.

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Parsons' truck and his wife's car were towed away by investigators.

A woman who volunteers at the church said there were witnesses in the room when the shooting happened.

"It's a horrible thing to happen any place, an unfortunately, we know who the person was and that makes it more difficult for the people who are here," she said.

Neighbors said the Lakewood couple, who had two children, had ongoing domestic problems. Neighbors told KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reporter Gary Horcher they saw the man screaming profanities at his wife and chasing her down the street on Tuesday.

The couple may have been divorced.

Charles did not appear at his hearing and the judge set his bail at $5 million.

County prosecutors have until Monday to file charges.