Man opens fire inside Knoxville church; at least six people shot

WBIR.com ^ | 7/27/2008 | Katie Allison Granju

[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.

[El Gato]

They are live and let live people non radical and the least likely to try and force anything upon anyone especially their beliefs.

Not as individuals I'm sure. But they, as a church, do work to get the laws changed to force their "ideology" into law. They can do that, being left wingers, conservatives are barred by "separation of church and state" [/s

Some of their "Spiritual beliefs" from their own website.

We also see that current laws do not adequately protect all vulnerable groups; especially youth; people of color; and/or Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender people. In our effort to create a more equitable and just society for all people, the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) encourages Unitarian Universalist congregations to engage in organizing, education, and advocacy toward a corrections system driven by compassionate justice, rather than retribution. Specifically, we oppose the death penalty and support an overhaul of U.S. drug policy, including an end to mandatory minimum sentencing. We support strengthened gun control, effective alternatives to incarceration, dismantling of the for-profit prison industry, support for prisoners' families, and a comprehensive approach to prisoner re-entry, including restoration of voting rights for ex-felons. The UUA also supports collection of hate crimes statistics, and policy which adds sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, and disability to existing federal law regarding hate crimes.

[El Gato]

I believe they do have a death penalty in Tennessee. He should get it.

Oh they have it in Tennessee, but the UUC opposes it:

From their website:

The Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations has been on record since 1961 as opposing capital punishment, and has reaffirmed its position four times since. The first and second principles of Unitarian Universalism summarize the basis of our continued opposition to the death penalty:

We, the member congregations...covenant to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person, and justice, equity, and compassion in human relations.

With the victims pleading for leniency, the death penalty would seem extremely unlikely in this case... probably too much to hope that they'd change their position on the issue.

[Sergei Andropov]

Those were where the first shots of the next civil war were fired, and Waco, and Ruby Ridge, etc. Liberal fascists have a long history of targeting those who aren’t “one of them”.

I am a liberal, and spend most of my time on liberal sites. I have heard many conservatives who visit such sites say such things.

Please, for the sake of God, think about what you are saying, think about the hatred that is consuming you. Right now, Iraq is Hell on Earth. Do not bring that Hell to America. Do not speak of civil war, or committing acts of violence against those that disagree with you. We on the Left are frightened, because we have been hearing such talk for a long time, and now someone has finally acted on it. We do not think that he will be the last, and we fear deeply for America's future.

Our country is deeply divided, and madness festers on both sides. Some (though thankfully not many) on my side of the divide are so filled with hatred that they have deluded themselves into thinking that our own government ordered the 9/11 attacks. Some (though I pray to God that their numbers are few) on your side of the divide are so filled with hatred that they are willing to kill, and now the killing has started.

Although the Left is in fact considerably more pro-gun than most people, Left or Right, realize, liberals do not generally view violence as a way to solve problems. For example, most of us believe that attacking Iran would create more problems than it would solve, that it is wrong to kill criminals, even murderers, that in most cases diplomacy and sanctions should be used rather than military might. Whether we are right or wrong on these issues is irrelevant, the point is that this is what we believe. If a person on the Left were to suggest violence against the Right, the response from the rest would be swift, one sided, and absolute. We protect you from our crazies.

Please, let this tragedy be a wakeup call. Look at yourselves, look at your hatred, see how it blinds you. To think that the non-violent Left, which opposes major firepower being in civilian hands, which has taken numerous steps to deny itself weaponry (as with the DC handgun ban), is plotting a civil war is pure lunacy. To act on such a belief is nothing short of national suicide.

Please, in the Name of God, I beg you: clean up your own house. Rein in your lunatics. A country in which one half fears the other half is not truly free.

America is mighty; it can be defeated only by itself.

The future of our country is in your hands.

[Merta]

Calm down, you are freaking out about how FTL is posting about the usual double standards of the Media when reporting crime.

Anyways, my feeling on this guy is that he had deranged postal worker syndrome after getting denied other people’s money. Just like the shooter at that one mall, something snapped and getting desperate he used the same ugly feelings that gave him gubmit drug withdrawal syndrome and started shooting at people in a Church because he might’ve been Socially Conservative(as the hating of homosexuality argument was) or he wanted to take his anger out at somebody which is typical of groups of people stoned on gubmit drugs. Perhaps he meant the New Left, in his motive, which is more concerned about the Environment and special groupings than about his welfare. Who knows? Frankly who cares, he is still a few marbles shy of Chinese Checkers.

I’ll tell you upfront(and you can write this on a Studies of the Right Wing book) that these kinds of guys will probably not be on here, FR and other blog/Right-Wing Discussion boards as most people on here(if not almost all) are not mental cases. Eccentric, some of them are, but not nuts like this gunman was. I believe in a world where the Federal Government takes its pieces and makes it become privatized, but I will not walk into a government department and start shooting at people. In fact guns are advocated, on this board, in terms of self-defense and by those who feel that somebody holds a tyrannical grip over them(I know that there are more reasons).

Regardless of the theology utilized by the Unitarians, that doesn’t dignify a nut to act like the rash of shootings that the Media always trumpets. Thankfully only two people died. If there is any hope, the third death should be used on the gunman. Much like the JDL bomber and the guy who shot the Abortion doctor, I don’t find this guy to be dignifiable of life, or as part of my ideological/theological kin.

There is a place where he will go, and hell has no political prejudices.

I hope that that settles it. Calm down and read a book. I know that you are not a troll, but calm down. To think of this guy as being some legitimate calling to arms for some secret Right-Wing death beast movement is hysteria.

[conservobot]

Sergei,

Take my advice: Get ready to duck!

[Philly Nomad]

Wow, your god sucks. My God practices unconditional love on all his children. We decide to accept or reject it.

[Jonah Hex]

Sergei, chill.

[P8riot]

My God exists. Not sure about yours.

[Philly Nomad]

No, your god, doesn’t exist. Well maybe in your mind. But in reality, your god doesn’t exist. There is only one true God and he loves everybody. Your god is some spiteful, insecure thing.

[P8riot]

Your god is some spiteful, insecure thing.

Not really. We all deserve His judgment, but He has extended His grace to those that will come to him through the atoning work of his son. None of us deserve his love merely by being human. Our nature will always strive against His. God's love is extended to all, but his salvation is not.

[cva66snipe]

I meant it as individuals and should have stated such. My bad. United Church of Christ is even more radical politically then them though. Look up Barry Lynn the head of Separation of Church and State. I left his Reverend title off his name. The term So Called IMO applies as it does to others like Jackson, Sharpton, etc. Some Churches are getting radical left even the traditional what were once Theologically Conservative Protestant Christian. Although the UUC are basically Deist they are pretty far removed from those holding those beliefs say 200 years ago especially politically.

Seems this guy had a warped grudge with this church as one of his Ex's had attended it before. Even more strange was although he had obvious special training he used a shotgun holding just 3 shells. At first I thought the witness accounts may have missed hearing some of them but it was three shots. That's how they took him down because he was reloading and had about 70 more rounds. It was a sawed off too according to police press reports. That explains 6 hits most of them life threatening.

To bad it takes so long for justice to run it's course. This man will die of old age before facing what is likely to be his given sentence. The church may be liberal but this neck of the woods is majority Conservative.

[Natchez Hawk]

“Sounds like a Republican.”

You think, Republicans wear jeans to church, yell obscenities, and shoot innocent people?

[TKDietz]

“This is a symptom of a culture that feels free to spew venomous hatred and bigotry against people of faith.”

Too much venomous hatred and bigotry being spewed these days, not just by liberals.

[El Gato]

At first I thought the witness accounts may have missed hearing some of them but it was three shots. That's how they took him down because he was reloading and had about 70 more rounds. It was a sawed off too according to police press reports. That explains 6 hits most of them life threatening.

Sawed off or just short? With a semi auto, at leas a gas operated one as most are (not all though) you can't saw it off too much or the action won't work. You'd be safe as long as you didn't cut it down shorter than the forward hand guard or magazine tube. The length of the barrel doesn't really affect the spread of the shot much, if any. It's the choke, or lack thereof, that does that. Most short barreled shotguns, even the most "legal" 18.5" barrels (like mine), have a 'cylinder' choke, which means no constriction at all, same as you'd get by sawing off the barrel. Even my 24" barreled 'bird gun', has a 'cylinder' choke tube available, although all I've got is 'improved cylinder', 'modified' and 'full', don't think I've ever used the 'full' though. The short one doesn't have interchangeable tubes so you are stuck with what it came with, but for 'serious social purposes', 'cylinder' is fine. OTOH, I once hunted with a guy who had a Remington 870 with an 18.5 or 20 inch barrel with interchangeable choke tubes, who used it for bird hunting, just by installing the appropriate tube. (OTOH, another hunter in the group asked him if he was going to shoot pheasants or rob a bank with it. IIRC, he shot pheasants with it, at least one. :) )

[El Gato]

Meant to add a thought about “sawed off” perhaps applying to the stock as well as perhaps the barrel. As you most likely know, overall length is restricted by the National Firearms Act, as well as barrel length. (to 26” and 18” respectively for shotguns, 16” barrels for rifles).

[cva66snipe]

Not sure actually here's what was said though.

Owen said Adkisson concealed the shotgun in a guitar case when he entered the sanctuary, where children were performing the musical, "Annie Jr." Owen said Adkisson didn't say anything before discharging three rounds from the shotgun, which had a shortened barrel.

Because the semiautomatic weapon holds three shells, Adkisson had to reload after the initial attack. That's when several church members grabbed Adkisson and grappled for control of the shotgun. They overpowered him and tied him with belts face down on the floor, apparently disrupting Adkisson's attack plans.

"We found 76 shotgun shells," Owen said. The additional shells were in a black leather bag Adkisson had carried along with the guitar case.

"He expected to be shooting people until police arrived and he fully expected to be killed by those responding police," the chief said.

[El Gato]

I looked at the search warrant application, that says it was a Remington Model 48, which is NOT gas operated. It's also not been made since around '68, so it's the sort of thing that one would pick up in a pawn shop. Probably cut it off just in front of the magazine tube, and maybe shortened the stock to just the pistol grip.

An article at WBIR also stated that while he *was* in the airborne back in the 74-77 time frame, he was a helicopter mechanic, not line infantryman, let alone something "special". he also only made it to E-2 in those 3 years, which doesn't say much even during that time frame. But, the model 48 which was a version of the 11-48 did only hold 2 rounds in the magazine, because the magazine was modified from that of the 11-48, which held 5 rounds. Glad

Glad he didn't pick up an 11-48 instead. That would have doubled the number of shots available from 3 to 6, before reloading was required.

[cva66snipe]

I don't know about the Army but to get to E-2 in the Navy all you had to do was put in the request {name spelled correctly of course}. Getting to E-4 in three years was typical for most persons. Most made E-2 in less than 2 months after reaching command if sent straight there from basic.

Thanks for explaining the weapon. It makes more sense now. One question though. Since this wasn't gas operated was it actually a true semi or a pump?

[El Gato]

It's also not been made since around '68

Make that '60. ~'68 or '69 for the 11-48 version.