Shooting in a TN Church

[Master of Cards]

Shooting

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The Knoxville, Tennessee, police chief says a man wielding a shotgun opened fire in a church today, killing a church usher and injuring eight other people.

A hospital spokeswoman says five of the wounded are in critical condition.

Police say the gunman, whose name hasn't been released, was taken into custody.

The attack at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church occurred during a youth program, but no children were hurt.

A church member who arrived moments after the shooting said the gunman fired three times and was tackled.

The mayor says without a large group of people in the church, the situation could have been even worse.

The congregation's Web site says the congregation has worked for desegregation, racial harmony, fair wages, women's rights and gay rights and has provided sanctuary for political refugees, fed the homeless and founded a chapter of the ACLU.

And from it seems like it wasn't a fundie church

[Metatwaddle]

How fucking nuts do you have to be to carry a grudge against UUs? They're probably the most harmless people in the world.

[Master of Cards]

Well now that I reread it I could see rednecks have issue with them .

The congregation's Web site says the congregation has worked for desegregation, racial harmony , fair wages,women's rights and gay rights and has provided sanctuary for political refugees , fed the homeless and founded a chapter of the ACLU.

[The Guid]

Less than 2 miles from my fiance. Fuck me.

[Alyrium Denryle]

Shooting

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The Knoxville, Tennessee, police chief says a man wielding a shotgun opened fire in a church today, killing a church usher and injuring eight other people.

A hospital spokeswoman says five of the wounded are in critical condition.

Police say the gunman, whose name hasn't been released, was taken into custody.

The attack at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church occurred during a youth program, but no children were hurt.

A church member who arrived moments after the shooting said the gunman fired three times and was tackled.

The mayor says without a large group of people in the church, the situation could have been even worse.

The congregation's Web site says the congregation has worked for desegregation, racial harmony, fair wages, women's rights and gay rights and has provided sanctuary for political refugees, fed the homeless and founded a chapter of the ACLU.

And from it seems like it wasn't a fundie church

It is basically impossible to be a unitarian and a fundie. Imagine a church where half the congregation is atheistic or pagan... and that is what unitarians are

[The Guid]

Shit, a friend of a friend apparently saw him going in pulling the gun out. She's 15 bless her, and she hid and now she's guiltily second guessing herself as to what she should have done.

Damn, a 15 year old girl can't stop a man with a shotgun. There's nothing to be done.

[Saxtonite]

It is basically impossible to be a unitarian and a fundie. Imagine a church where half the congregation is atheistic or pagan... and that is what unitarians are

LOL...but it it true. At the one I occasionally go to for Anti-War Meetings and the like, there is a 'Mother Earth' art project/thing and stuff on recycling and 'green' power. The church runs off wind power. The minister is female. A bunch of people there identify with and say they are agnostic.

How fucking nuts do you have to be to carry a grudge against UUs? They're probably the most harmless people in the world.

As Master of Cards pointed out, the Unitarian aren't too high in opinions of more right-wing/"traditionalist" Christians. I remember my father, who is a baptist minister when he came over for my birthday once claiming the Unitarians were not 'Christian' at all as they don't accept Jesus a divine...or something.

I remember some non-demominational christian preachy sites saying the Unitarian Universalists were not christian and posted why, etc as well.

[Feil]

Damn.

Good on the people who attacked the gunman - they may have saved dozens of lives by stopping him as soon as they did.

[Battlehymn Republic]

How fucking nuts do you have to be to carry a grudge against UUs? They're probably the most harmless people in the world.

As insane as to be angry at Amish, yet that's what happened last year.

[Alyrium Denryle]

How fucking nuts do you have to be to carry a grudge against UUs? They're probably the most harmless people in the world.

As insane as to be angry at Amish, yet that's what happened last year.

UUs are even less offensive than Amish. Amish shun their family members if they leave, and being a Luddite is offensive on its own... UUs are just... nice

[Solauren]

UUs are what religionious people would be a in a perfect world.

[SpacedTeddyBear]

It looks like Master of Cards called it.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - An unemployed man accused of opening fire with a shotgun and killing two people at a Unitarian church apparently targeted the congregation out of hatred for its liberal social policies, police said Monday .
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Knoxville Police Chief Sterling Owen IV said a letter had been been recovered from the SUV of Jim D. Adkisson, 58, by investigators seeking clues about the motive behind the attack. Authorities said he was an apparent stranger to the Tennessee church where gunfire punctuated a children's performance based on the musical "Annie." Two people were killed and seven wounded Sunday.

"It appears that what brought him to this horrible event was his lack of being able to obtain a job, his frustration over that and his stated hatred of the liberal movement ," Owen said at a news conference.

No children were hurt, but five people remained in serious or critical condition Monday. A burly usher who died is being hailed as a hero for shielding others from gunfire Sunday at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church. Witnesses said some of the men present tackled a man who pulled a shotgun from a guitar case before at least three blasts rang out.

Adkisson, who is charged with first-degree murder, remained jailed Monday under "close observation" on $1 million bail, authorities said.

The Unitarian-Universalist church promotes progressive social work, including advocacy of women and gay rights. The Knoxville congregation also has provided sanctuary for political refugees, fed the homeless and founded a chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, according to its Web site.

Owen said the letter indicated Adkisson, who neighbors said had previously worked as a truck driver, did not expect to leave the church alive. He added the man also reported having no family or next-of-kin.

"He certainly intended to take a lot of casualties," Owen said. "He had 76 rounds with him."

Police said Adkisson carried a 12-guage semiautomatic shotgun into the church in a guitar case, but it appeared no specific person was targeted in the church. A search of his house also turned up a .38 caliber handgun, Owen added.

Investigators were reviewing several home video recordings of the children's performance for any evidence. Owen said police don't plan to release those videos and they did not make public a copy of Adkisson's letter.

Unitarians have roots in a movement that rejected Puritan orthodoxy in New England. Although the outlook and beliefs of individual Unitarian churches can vary dramatically, most congregations retain a deep commitment to social justice, which has led them to embrace liberal positions over the years. Unitarians were among the first to ordain women, support the civil rights movement and back gay rights.

The shooting started as about 200 people watched a show put on by 25 children.

Church member Mark Harmon said he was in the first row when he heard "an incredibly loud bang." He thought the noise was part of the play, then he heard another bang and saw a woman bleeding as he dove for cover.

"It seems so unreal," Harmon said.

Church members praised Greg McKendry, 60, who died as he attempted to block the gunfire. Barbara Kemper said that McKendry "stood in the front of the gunman and took the blast to protect the rest of us."

Kemper said the gunman shouted before he opened fire.

"It was hateful words. He was saying hateful things," she said, refusing to elaborate.

"Greg McKendry was a very large gentleman, one of those people you might describe as a refrigerator with a head," said church member Schera Chadwick. "He looked like a football player. He did obviously stand up and put himself in between the shooter and the congregation."

A second victim was identified as Linda Kraeger, 61. She died at a hospital hours later, Kenner said.

Officials said Adkisson was arraigned Sunday night and faces his next court appearance Aug. 5.

Other Unitarian congregations held tearful services afterward. At a packed Westside Unitarian Universalist Church in suburban Farragut, congregants prayed, sang and consoled each other.

The shooting follows a December 2007 spree in which a man shot four staff members at a missionary training center near Denver, Colo., killing two, after being told he couldn't spend the night. About 12 hours later and 65 miles away in Colorado Springs, police say the 24-year-old man fatally shot a parishioner at a megachurch and wounded four others before killing himself.

[Kanastrous]

"It appears that what brought him to this horrible event was his lack of being able to obtain a job, his frustration over that and his stated hatred of the liberal movement," Owen said at a news conference.

I guess we're pretending that his own religious beliefs weren't a primary motivator, too.

[The Guid]

So when are we al lgoing to be trying to find where he got his irrational hatred of liberals? And start playing Ann Coulter and Fox News clips on repeat on the 24hr news channels?

Oh wait, that only counts when its computer games.

[Broomstick]

"It appears that what brought him to this horrible event was his lack of being able to obtain a job, his frustration over that and his stated hatred of the liberal movement," Owen said at a news conference.

Um... I've had problems with employment, too, lately but while I've occasionally been angry over it I can't say I've had any impulses to shoot things or people over it.

Then again, I'm an evil, pagan liberal so what the hell do I know?

[Covenant]

"It appears that what brought him to this horrible event was his lack of being able to obtain a job, his frustration over that and his stated hatred of the liberal movement," Owen said at a news conference.

Um... I've had problems with employment, too, lately but while I've occasionally been angry over it I can't say I've had any impulses to shoot things or people over it.

Then again, I'm an evil, pagan liberal so what the hell do I know?

I'm not far from it by now, but my evil liberal peacenik values keep me from doing the red-blooded American thing and going to shoot someone.

[Ford Prefect]

Greg McKendry was one hell of a brave man to put himself directly in the line of fire. May he rest in peace, along with Linda Kraeger. It's terrible that they had to die because of such a petty, pointless act.

[Patrick Degan]

The shooter was probably a faithful listener of Rush, Hannity, Savage, and probably always got his "news" from FoxNoise. If he's at all literate, expect his shelves to have every Ann Coulter title on them. You can bet he's had the "Eeevil LIBROOLZ" meme swirling around in his head for a long, long time.

[Einhander Sn0m4n]

The shooter was probably a faithful listener of Rush, Hannity, Savage, and probably always got his "news" from FoxNoise. If he's at all literate, expect his shelves to have every Ann Coulter title on them. You can bet he's had the "Eeevil LIBROOLZ" meme swirling around in his head for a long, long time.

Bingo.

FOX News Hosts' Books Read By Knoxville Church Shooter
Reported by Deborah - July 28, 2008 - 172 comments

On Sunday, Jim Adkisson entered the Knoxville Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee and opened fire killing two people and injuring seven more who were watching a children's production of Annie. A report from the Knoxville News Sentinel states that when police entered Jim Adkisson's home they found books by Michael Savage, Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly.

"Inside the house, officers found "Liberalism is a Mental Health Disorder" by radio talk show host Michael Savage, "Let Freedom Ring" by talk show host Sean Hannity, and "The O'Reilly Factor," by television talk show host Bill O'Reilly."
h/t to CM

The article goes on to explain Adkisson's motivation for the attack which he revealed to Steve Sills, a Knoxville Police Officer.

"Adkisson targeted the church, Still wrote in the document obtained by WBIR-TV, Channel 10, "because of its liberal teachings and his belief that all liberals should be killed because they were ruining the country, and that he felt that the Democrats had tied his country's hands in the war on terror and they had ruined every institution in America with the aid of media outlets."

Here is a report from FOXNews.com on the tragedy. Below is a video from FOX Report.

Indirectly, we can blame Bush for this due to Fox News being their direct propaganda tool.

[Patrick Degan]

Oooh... Let's see how Rush and O'Really try to spin this as a "symptom" of liberalism.

[Glocksman]

Oooh... Let's see how Rush and O'Really try to spin this as a "symptom" of liberalism.

IMHO, the guy's plainly nuts and if he hadn't latched onto extreme wingnut ideology and saw the Unitarians at the 'enemy', he could just have easily latched onto the extreme nutroot view and shot up a Southern Baptist church.

That said, it wouldn't surprise me one bit to hear Hannity spin it that way, as to me he's the most dishonest of the 'Big 3' wingnut commentators.

[SirNitram]

The Right Wing chatterboxs of the net are hilarious this morning.

'HE WAS TRYING TO DISCREDIT CONSERVATISM! HE MUST BE A DIRTY LIBRUL!'

[The Guid]

Really? Could you link me to some of it just so I can see it for myself? I just need to see it, however much it burns my eyes.

[SirNitram]

Really? Could you link me to some of it just so I can see it for myself? I just need to see it, however much it burns my eyes.

Alright. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Link

You know what I think? He didn’t hate liberals. He hated Christians. He wanted to leave the impression that he is a conservative who hates liberals, however, to discredit conservatives.

Evil.

I fully suspect this will be declared 'hate speech' by the Cheerleader Ditz From Hell, so here's Crooks ANd Liars with a static image capture of the comment:

link

Confederate Yankee, another of the deranged wingnut-o-sphere(Everything to do with blogs is -osphere, don't you know!), simply deleted all comments when they got to that section of the Id they try to hide.

[Rahvin]

So wait...the fucknugget "felt that the Democrats had tied his country's hands in the war on terror and they had ruined every institution in America with the aid of media outlets..."

...and his solution was to commit an act of terrorism?