Posted on 07/27/2008 8:43:01 AM PDT by 2nd amendment mama
11:29 am
Steve Drevik says the suspect isn't believed to have any connection to the church.
11:19 am
Steve Drevik, a member of the TVUU Church spoke to media outside the church building, where media are assembled.
He says the suspect is now in custody.
Drevik says the shooting happened during a regular service, as children of the church were performing music from Annie for parishioners.
A man with long blond hair, who appeared to be in his 40s, walked into the sanctuary and opened fiire with a shotgun, shooting indiscriminately.
At least six or seven people were hit by the gunfire. They have been transported to UT Medical Center. Two are believed to be in serious condition.
No children are believed to have been hit by the gunfire.
Some of the children were taken next door to Second Presbyterian Church for shelter.
Numerous KPD officers are on the scene.
11:00 am
Multiple people have suffered gunshot wounds in what witnesses describe as a mass shooting inside a church in West Knoxville Sunday morning.
The shootings happened at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church on Kingston Pike.
A witness who spoke to 10 News said police had arrived and one person was being detained at the scene.
A children's production of "Annie" was taking place as part of the normal Sunday service at the time of the shooting, the witness, who is a member of the church, said. The gunman walked into a packed sanctuary and opened fire.
The number of people shot and the extent of their injuries has not been confirmed, but the witness said he saw at least five people shot.
Church members heard a loud boom during the church service, which began around 10:15 a.m., the witness said. Several other loud booms followed, and the witness said the gunman seemed to be shooting randomly across a row of people. Two congregants tackled the gunman, he said.
Many people fled to the Second Presbyterian Church after the shooting, and that church was placed on lockdown, according to a 10 News crew at the scene. People have since been allowed to return to the Unitarian church building, where police are questioning witnesses.
Stay with WBIR for the very latest on this rapidly developing story.
Thanks for posting the article.
The Most important part of the article...
“Two congregants tackled the gunman, he said.”
Horrible news. Prayers go out to those who were hurt or killed and for those who will suffer because of this sick person.
This is a symptom of a culture that feels free to spew venomous hatred and bigotry against people of faith. There is no doubt we will begin to see more of this.
At least some of the parishioners were able to tackle the guy.
Prayers for all involved.
A bright spot in the bad news is that America is remembering how to fight back!
Ping
Yeah, I wondered about that too.
“How very sad. I wonder if this is a “gun-free” church.”
I know of very few churches, if any, that are officially gun free.
The attacker in a situation like this always has the advantage of surprise and if has any gun training at all is going to shoot people before taken out. I don’t know about you, but I don’t sit in church watching for crazed gunmen every moment of the service. I have more important things to attend to.
concealed carry
This is what it’s all about folks. Any guy entering a church brandishing a shotgun should be dead meat before he can raise it and fire.
We hear talk about how terrible it would be to return to the wild west days. I doubt too many people were walking into churches in those days gunning down people for the sport of it.
“This is a symptom of a culture that feels free to spew venomous hatred and bigotry against people of faith. There is no doubt we will begin to see more of this.”
My bet is it has nothing whatsoever to do with hatred of faith. If that were the cause, why didn’t the guy attack a more fundamental place?
The vast majority of these incidents are personal. They occur because of some sort of issue between the perp and one of the congregants, or the perp and the church leadership. It follows the same pattern as shootings in the workplace, usually committed by a present or former employee who believes he's been wronged - not someone who just hates corporate America in general.
This site is continually being updated:
SNIPPET - QUOTE:
http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=61322
UPDATED: Man opens fire inside Knoxville church; at least six people shot
Katie Allison Granju Updated: 7/27/2008 11:47:44 AM Posted: 7/27/2008 10:33:12 AM
Listen To Article (1) Recommend (0) Print Email Larger Smaller
11:44 am
Sources say church members tackled the suspect, holding him until police arrived.
KPD says the call came in at 10:18 am. The first officer arrived at 10:21 am. The suspect was taken into custody at 10:22 am. Police believe he is the lone suspect.
KPD officials says Mayor Haslam has been made aware of the event, and a press conference will be held later today.
11:38 am
More information about the church can be found at their website: www.TVUUC.org
11:29 am
Steve Drevik says the suspect isn’t believed to have any connection to the church.
“This is what it’s all about folks. Any guy entering a church brandishing a shotgun should be dead meat before he can raise it and fire.”
So do you spend every moment of the service watching every entrance for gun brandishing maniacs? I know I don’t, primarily because it happens so rarely.
You don’t know many Unitarians do you? It’s a “progressive” church. They probably had The Vagina Monologues scheduled for the evening service. Prayers up for the injured.
Unitarian Church. Enough said. Regardless, events like this shouldn't happen but it's a good sign that the perp got tackled.
Prayers for everybody.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.