http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/12/church.shooting/index.html NEOSHO, Missouri (CNN) -- A gunman burst into a church in southwestern Missouri where his relatives were praying and opened fire on Sunday, killing three people and wounding at least five, authorities said. "He stormed in during the service and started shooting," said Desiree Bridges, a public information officer for the town of Neosho, about 15 miles south of Joplin. Two worshippers and an assistant pastor were killed, Police Chief Dave McCracken told CNN. The Associated Press identified the slain pastor as Rev. Kernal Rehobson, 44. The wounded were transported to area hospitals by ground and air, Bridges said. Video from outside the church showed at least one person carried away on a stretcher. McCracken said one of the wounded was undergoing surgery and two others are in the hospital. All are expected to recover, he said. The Newton County 911 Center received a call at 1:54 p.m. (2:54 p.m. ET) saying that someone was shooting in the First Congregational Church, Bridges said. At the time, a group of Pacific Islanders was holding a service at the church. McCracken said the gunman is also a Pacific Islander and is related to some of the people at the service, including "some of the victims." The gunman carried three weapons -- including a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol -- and held those in the room hostage, McCracken said. He asked the children in the room to leave, without their parents, and they did, said McCracken. All are unharmed and accounted for, he said. When police arrived, the shooter was holding between 25 and 50 people hostage inside the church, Bridges told CNN. After a negotiator spoke with the shooter for five to 10 minutes, police apprehended him, she said. The suspect, who has not been publicly identified, is in custody at Newton County jail, McCracken said. In an interview with CNN late Sunday, McCracken said the witness was "not cooperating." "We do have numerous witnesses, however," he added. The police chief did not say what the motive is believed to be, but he said authorities are pursuing "a couple of leads." McCracken told the AP that an incident involving the suspect and a family from the church occurred the day before the shooting. First Congregational Church is a Latino congregation but opens its doors to other groups. Some 10,500 people live in Neosho, which is about 250 miles west-southwest of St. Louis, Missouri. "This is a terrible tragedy which was made worse by the fact that it happened in a peaceful place of faith and worship," Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt said in a statement.
this furthers my newfound belief that society is becoming so filthy and dirty with bloodthirsty and evil people that society, really the world as we know it know will collapse utterly. The human race will survive of course. We have survived apocalypeses before. That is why we are at the top of the natural order. Still. It is fucked up that some wacked out meth head or something killed innoccent people worshiping their god. Fuck that bitch..his afterlife wont be pleasant guys and gals.
That's fucked up. I can remember when I was a little kid, and heard about a church shooting for the first time. It was so hard for me to contemplate how and why a person would ever do something like that. Obviously any act of violence is unnecessary, but the consequences for shooting on school or religious grounds should be much more strict if they arent. My condolences go out to the families of the victims.
Yeah that is fucked up. At least only a few were injured but unfortunatly three got killed. Even though that may sound bad, it's good that he let the kids go.
I mean, obviously every crime with a firearm should be severely punished. Everyone who shoots and kills someone wanted to hurt that person, but usually thats the only guy. Letting a few slip in a school or church is, to me, a much bigger disregard to the general population - innocent people - and should be treated as such.
It was only a matter of time before guns were in church too, that's so sad and pathetic that a person would do. All those people were doing were praying, at LEAST though he let the children out, if he had killed children that would have been beyond fucked up.
