What started out as a typical Sunday morning for a small country church congregation in Nashville, Tennessee, turned into a nightmare when a masked gunman opened fire shortly after 11am local time. One woman is dead and 6 others were injured at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ yesterday morning.
The murdered 39 year old woman was named as Melanie Smith from Smyrna, Tennessee. She was apparently walking to her car when she was shot in the parking lot and was found dead by police when they arrived at the scene.
After the fatal shooting in the car park the gunman walked around the back of the church, went through the door and, without uttering a word, opened fire indiscriminately on the congregation. He wounded 3 women and 3 men before he was confronted by a church usher, Robert Engle, 22. Engle sustained a serious injury after he was beaten over the head with the gunman’s pistol, but in a display of heroism he ran to his own car, grabbed his gun and headed back to the church. He was able to overpower the gunman and stop him from causing any further harm until police arrived. The police called Mr Engle a “very brave individual” and said that he was able to “stop the madness” until they arrived.
The gunman apparently shot himself through the chest but police said this was probably not intentional but more likely that he had accidentally fired his gun during the struggle with Mr Engle.
The gunman has been identified as Emanuel Kidega Samson, a 25 year old man from Sudan, who has been residing in the United States since the mid-nineties. He was wearing what was described as a ski mask, when he drove his blue SUV to the church and left it idling in the carpark as he began his deadly rampage.
The wounded – 1 couple in their 80s and 4 other people in their 60s – were all taken to hospital and were said to be a stable condition. One of those injured was the pastor who is said to be critical but stable.
In a statement released after the incident, police said they had recovered four guns from Mr. Samson’s vehicle which they believed to be his. Samson was carrying 2 pistols when he was arrested but it was not yet clear whether he had used both of them. Police could not yet say what they thought the motive was although some have said it may have been race-related. Samson had apparently attended services at the church in the past but had not been seen there for some time.
He was treated in hospital after the incident but has now been arrested and charged with murder and attempted murder. A civil rights investigation has been opened and the FBI are currently looking at the evidence.
Louise Carter
