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.
Yea from the earlier reports of her injury it sure didn't sound good for her at all. If UTMC couldn't save her life nobody could. They're tops in trauma. Gonna be a lot of people with mental scars for a long time especially the foster kid and the mans wife plus this women's family. I remember when Knoxville was safe. I lived in the Inskip/Norwood area from age 6-10 back in the 60's. At 14 when I went to Knoxville to see a movie I could even walk downtown at night alone from Gay Street down to Broadway and Magnolia to the phone company. I'm out in the country and even still I have something quick and handy. No place safe no more that part of our nation is gone.
An early report I saw indicated that the man who died may have been shielding the children.
An early report I saw indicated that the man who died may have been shielding the children.From www.commercialappeal.com:
...Church member Greg McKendry, 60, was shot and killed when he confronted the gunman during a children's presentation of the musical, "Annie Jr!""He was the first person he encountered," according to Owen...
-- snip --
"Greg McKendry stood in the front of the gunman and took the blast to protect the rest of us," witness Barbara Kemper said.
"Make sure everyone knows that Greg McKendry was a hero, a total hero," Taylor Bessette said of the man who has been his foster father just a few months.
I certainly hope the best for all these poor people.
The UUV's have left Christianity for quite a while now, and are in some kind of deistic experiment. They are very liberal and maybe a bit occultish in many ways. I've run across some on the web who either accept or encourage a wiccan intersection with their deistic concepts.
My guess is that it might have been someone with a paranoid, sick view of Christianity who was "cleansing" the area.
But, then again, it could be as simple as a marital spat gone terribly wrong.
There were kids singing there, They don’t know what your yapping about. I don’t either
Hey, give me a break. After having the thing on me since 9 this morning, I finally took it off to clean it.
GEEEZ!
Thanks Dog. Somehow, I think a man who lays down his life like that is going to be just fine with God. Something like...”greater love hath no man...” comes to mind.
That’s why I like it out here where I reside. No neighbors, and any intruders will be detected by my dogs in time for me to be alerted.
Yes, Knoxville has become dangerous, like most small cities. I also read WYSH radio out of Anderson County, and it has some good, up to date news. I don’t think I would want to even live in Oak Ridge at this point, and it use to be one of the safest places on earth!!! And I too am armed and willing to defend my life/property.
And yes, UTMC is among the finest for trauma.
Listening now to Fox News and they are saying this is a “hate crime” because of the church’s welcoming of gays.
I’ll be watching the 11 p.m. news.
Yea Oak Ridge has changed as well. Part of it is the illegal problem the city government ignores. It's too busy cutting a red light/speed camera deal to be bothered with rapist, robbers, and thugs. I don't feel safe there now and if the camera deal passes I'm done going there at all.
Listening now to Fox News and they are saying this is a “hate crime” because of the church’s welcoming of gays.
Now what they aren't saying is that also probably covers about a third of the many churches within a 10 block area of the TVUUC. The term hate crime I think came from Police Chief Owens. Check Yahoo's main site real quick. It's an AP article. If it were in my or your county my best bet would be on a Meth Head.
My brother was at this service. While I 200% agree with you on God not being the same zip code as this "church" I hope and pray we all can keep kindness in the forefront for the people, and pray for them...as Christ did.
One of the web articles said that the shooter claimed “the Bible is full of contradictions” to a neighbor. Isn’t this the essence of what Unitarians believe? Shouldn’t he have been sitting in the pews and not shooting at them? Unbelievable.
You’re not safe anywhere these days.
This memory will stay with those kids forever.
I can’t imagine what an awful day this has been for you, your brother and your family. You’ll be in our prayers.
Assuming that the shooter isn’t just bats—t crazy, but was motivated by something concrete, like hatred of Christians, the irony of his targeting a UU church doesn’t surprise me. In my experience, the people that are really rabidly anti-Christian and anti-organized-religion are astonishingly ignorant about the differences between different Christian denominations. Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Mormon, mainline, evangelical, fundamentalist, pentecostal, dispensational, messianic, etc, etc - it’s all the same to them. For all they care, the pope handles snakes while wearing temple undergarments and waiting for the rapture. Such bigots rarely have the theological literacy to know that the UU’s are non-Christian, often non-theistic, and socially and politically liberal.
Glad to hear that parishioners went "Flight 93" on the gunman instead of waiting helplessly.
What is the “faith” of the UU “church”?
that’s brave.
Just because you have access to a keyboard and the internet, does not mean you have the sense to use your public opinion depository wisely.
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