THOMASVILLE — A man described as a minister of the gospel died by his own hand early Wednesday morning at the entrance of the Archbold dialysis facility, 201 Old Albany Road.

A few minutes before he shot himself, Leonard Threadcraft, whose 40th birthday was Monday, fired two shots at his ex-wife through a door inside the dialysis center.

The woman, Loretha Threadcraft, 39, owns a day care center across the highway from the dialysis center.

Police said Mr. Threadcraft arrived at the day care center a little after 7 a.m. and — armed — chased his wife across the street to the dialysis facility.

The woman fled in a black Lexus, striking a sign on the dialysis facility campus, as she drove toward the building.

According to police, the woman ran into a dialysis facility restroom in an attempt to escape. Mr. Threadcraft shot twice into the restroom, but projectiles did not strike his former spouse, police said.

Threadcraft then exited the building and fatally shot himself at the facility’s entrance.

The couple’s divorce was final in recent days. The Threadcrafts had one child. This was the couple’s second marriage to each other. They were divorced on Jan. 16, 2003, and remarried.

The suicide victim was pastor at Liberty for Gospel Baptist Church on Ga. 122, said Dante Johnson, of Thomasville, who knew the man.

Johnson described Threadcraft as someone who helped people. A former church member, Cheri Mitchell, described Threadcraft as “a good man, an upstanding man.”

Threadcraft was employed at a Cairo business that buys gold. He lived in Thomasville with his mother.

Ms. Threadcraft declined to be interviewed.

A longtime acquaintance, Spencer Wilson, described her as having “a beautiful personality” and someone who loves children.

A firearm was recovered at the scene, but police would not discuss the type of weapon used in the shooting/suicide.