Police: Man shot churchgoers over liberal views KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - 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. 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. source _______________________________ Always very sad when someone tries to kill innocent people because of their own troubled life. It sounds like there were some real heroes in the crowd who prevented a lot more harm from occurring.
Its a shame that a person has so much hatred in his heart and so many have to pay for it. My heart goes out to the families of the people killed.
I smelt some terrible BS from this story today, not that it didn't happen, but the "motives" they talk about. But let me get this straight cause I don't quite understand it, he wrote a letter? To who? I'm kind of thinking like how stOx put it awhile ago, "this isn't scooby doo". Why the hell would this guy write a 4 page letter about what he was about to do and why he did it?? It was an immediate red flag to me when this one news anchor first broke the story and went, "and we'll find out later what his motives were" or something like that. Wtf? When has the media ever investigated motives in similar cases. At best, this is a blatant attack against conservatism that the media chose to report; "oh look there's another redneck asshole". And most likely, it's just another distracting story. The situation itself, yeah.. sucks, I'm a Universalist too.
Many people leave suicide notes. If he thought he would be killed and not captured then the note makes some sense. Not everything is a conspiracy. There is nothing odd to me about some kook leaving a note in his car. Do you think the police made up the note? Or some other group got to the scene and planted it? I guess I don't really get why you would buy into a theory like that and not that he just left a note. One seems to require huge assumptions that have no factual support, the other seems simple and logical - at least to me. I hardly think this guy is representative of anyone other than crazy people. I would classify him as disturbed, not conservative. I know many conservatives and not one has shot up a church. In fact most conservatives would not blame others for not being able to get a job or a cut in food stamps. To associate this guy with conservatives seems to be another leap that I would not make.
Totally agree.. A person can snap no matter their 'political side' he simply took it out on what he thought was the problem/blamed for his current problems perhaps. I also am not shocked one bit that he wrote a note, especially in such a circumstance many want people to know why they did what they did.
The media makes sure to present it in a way that will have people in hysteria if you say something like "I can't stand liberals". Same thing with these school shooting cases, the media eats this stuff up so the idiots can go "ohhh that means guns are bad". Maybe it is just another conspiracy of mine, but I'd rather look like a fool and be right 5% of the time, than go with the grain and come out of life with nothing more than anyone else.
Nate, how is the media supposed to report this? I only read the article I posted, but it hardly seems to have an agenda. If this guy shot these people because they are liberal, what is wrong with saying that? Obviously, if there was no basis for that conclusion is would be absurd for them to make that up - but assuming the note he left is accurate, what would you suggest they do differently in reporting it?
Well all the places i've seen it reported lately make sure to have that in the headline and they know how people will react. How they do it, I'll never know, but in the end they'll have people clamoring for more gun laws. I don't really have a strong basis, it was just an idea.
So if someone shoots his wife because she is cheating on him the news should not put the reason behind the shooting? I'm really lost here, I would think it's the job of the news to have facts such as 'why' and not mislead by not stating why.
What a miserable occurance. The man was out of work, apparently lonely and obviously depressed and angry. In his rage and frustration he blamed a church for his troubles? Or was it because it was a liberal church that they were targeted? It just baffles me that he felt like a church was the place to do this. Thank God no children were hurt. I'm equally thankful that they caught this man alive and now he can pay for his crimes instead of the usual suicide that these people get away with.