Wyo. pastor shot with his own gun after interrupting burglary

CENTENNIAL, Wyo. - A pastor was shot and wounded with his own handgun after apparently interrupting a burglary at his rural Wyoming church.

The Albany County Sheriff's Office says 44-year-old Dennis Lynn Davis was airlifted to a Cheyenne hospital Tuesday evening with a gunshot wound to his abdomen.

No information on his condition was immediately available Wednesday. According to the Casper Star-Tribune, Randy Svalina - who serves on the board of elders at the church - said Wednesday afternoon that Davis had successfully undergone surgery, though no other details were provided. "He is recovering and expected to be okay," he said.

Albany County Undersheriff Rob DeBree said deputies were called to the Centennial Valley Community Church, about 28 miles west of Laramie, at about 8:20 p.m.

DeBree stated Davis was shot with his own .380-caliber handgun during a struggle with a burglar.

Davis said the burglar was about 6 feet tall and wore a black ski mask and camouflaged clothing.

The shooting prompted a search around Centennial, a picturesque village at the foot of Wyoming's Snowy Range.