Four dead, six wounded in two Church shootings in Colorado
Pastor Dale Morgan
Four dead, six wounded in two Church shootings in Colorado
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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (AFP) - - Four people were killed and six
others were wounded in two separate shootings at religious
establishments in the state of Colorado, local authorities said.
The first shooting occurred in Arvada, a suburb of Denver, in the early
hours of Sunday when a young gunman opened fire at a Christian
missionary center. Two staff members in their mid-20s were killed and
two others wounded.
The gunman fled before authorities reached the scene.
About 12 hours later another two people were killed, including the
suspected attacker, in a shooting near a church in Colorado Springs.
City Police Chief Richard Meyers said four people were wounded in the
second rampage, some with "life-threatening injuries." The assailant was
killed by a church security guard, Meyers said.
When police arrived on the scene after receiving an emergency call "they
found that the active shooter had been shot by a security staff member
of the church," Meyers said. "A courageous security staff member who
probably saved many lives today."
Earlier reports had put the number killed in Colorado Springs at five.
It was unclear if the shootings were related, but Arvada Police Chief
Don Wick said such a link was possible.
"Yes, there's a reason to believe that," Wick told reporters. He did not
elaborate.
The two shootings took place 120 kilometers (75 miles) apart -- a
one-and-a-half hour drive.
The shooting in Colorado Springs occurred near the New Life Church, an
evangelical congregation of about 10,000 members.
"It's a sad day and a tragic day in Colorado Springs," said Mayor Lionel
Rivera. "This is not the kind of things you expect in our community."
The church pastor, Brady Boyd, saw the shooting from his office. "What I
experienced from my window was surreal," he said.
Congregants "came to church to worship, what happened today was a
tragedy," said Boyd. "It's unfortunate that we live in a society where
this happens, but it does."
The New Life Church made headlines in 2006 when its founder and pastor,
Ted Haggard, resigned after admitting to what he called "sexual
immorality." Haggard had a high public profile and was a vocal supporter
of President George W. Bush in 2004.
The Colorado shootings came just days after a teenager armed with a
semi-automatic rifle opened fire on Christmas shoppers at an Omaha
shopping mall in Nebraska on Wednesday, killing at least eight people
before turning the gun on himself.
Last week's mall rampage in Nebraska had already revived debate about
gun crime in the United States, which authorities say is home to more
than 200 million privately owned firearms for a population of just over
300 million.