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Another Shooting in CO

2K views 8 replies 5 participants last post by  TraderJack 
#1 ·
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - A gunman killed two staff members at a missionary training center near Denver early Sunday after being told he couldn't spend the night. About 12 hours later, a gunman fatally shot a person at a megachurch in Colorado Springs before a guard killed him, police said.
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The gunman at the New Life Church was shot and killed by a church security guard after entering the church's main foyer with high-powered rifle shortly before 1 p.m. and opening fire, Colorado Springs Police Chief Richard Myers said.
It was not immediately known whether the Colorado Springs shooting was related to the crime in Arvada, a Denver suburb about 65 miles to the north. Authorities in Arvada said no one had been captured in the shootings there.
A church member died of wounds inflicted by the gunman, Senior Pastor Brady Boyd said. Two others were shot and wounded at the church, where hundreds of people were milling about and parents were picking up their children from the nursery.
It was not immediately known whether the shootings were related, but Arvada authorities said they were sharing information with Colorado Springs investigators. The mission training program has a small office at the church's World Prayer Center on the New Life campus.
The church's 11 a.m. service had recently ended, and hundreds of people were milling about when the gunman opened fire. Nearby were parents picking up their children from the nursery.
Police arrived to find that the gunman had been killed by a member of the church's armed security staff, Myers said.
"There was a courageous staff member who probably saved many lives here today," Myers said.
Gov. Bill Ritter ordered state authorities to help investigate. The FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were assisting, and officers combed the church campus looking for suspicious devices.
The three people injured by the church gunman were taken to Penrose Community Hospital in Colorado Springs, where they were listed in critical, fair and good condition, said hospital spokeswoman Amy Sufak.
New Life was founded by the Rev. Ted Haggard, who was fired last year after a former male prostitute alleged he had a three-year cash-for-sex relationship with him. Haggard, then the president of the National Association of Evangelicals, admitted committing undisclosed "sexual immorality."
The New Life church is one of Colorado's largest with about 10,000 members.
About 7,000 people were on the campus at the time of the shooting, Boyd said. Security at the church had been beefed up after the early morning shootings in Arvada, he said.
The first shooting happened at about 12:30 a.m. at the Youth With a Mission center in Arvada, a Denver suburb, police spokeswoman Susan Medina said.
A man and a woman were killed and two men were wounded, Medina said. All four were staff members of the center, said Paul Filidis, a Colorado Springs-based spokesman with Youth With a Mission.
Arvada Police Chief Don Wick said the suspect spent several minutes speaking with people inside the dorm. Peter Warren, director of Youth With a Mission Denver, said the man asked whether he could spend the night. Several youths called on Tiffany Johnson, the center's director of hospitality.
"The director of hospitality was called. That's when he opened fire," Warren said. Johnson, 26, was killed.

Warren said he didn't know whether any of the students or staff knew the gunman. "We don't know why" he came to the dormitory, Warren said.
Witnesses told police that the gunman was a 20-year-old white male, wearing a dark jacket and skull cap, who left on foot. He may have glasses or a beard.
Police with dogs searched the area through the night, and residents of nearby homes were notified by reverse 911 to be on the lookout. Medina said residents were asked to look out their windows for any tracks left in the snow during the night. About 4 inches of snow had fallen in the area in the past day.
In addition to Johnson, killed in Arvada was Philip Crouse, 23. Youth With a Mission said Johnson was from Minnesota and Crouse was from Alaska.
The missionary center identified the wounded as Dan Griebenow, 24, of South Dakota, and Charlie Branch, 22, whose hometown wasn't immediately known. One of the men was in critical condition, and the other was stable, police said.
About 45 people were evacuated from the Youth with a Mission dormitory and moved to an undisclosed location.
The missionary center is on the grounds of the Faith Bible Chapel. Cheril Morrison, wife of chapel pastor George Morrison, said Crouse had just hung up Christmas lights at her home and that Johnson was "an amazingly beautiful person."
Mimi Martin, who lives near the center, said she received the warning call at about 9 a.m. warning neighbors to keep their doors and windows locked.
"Why would anybody want to hurt those kids?" Martin said.
Darv Smith, director of a Youth With a Mission center in Boulder, said people ranging from their late teens to their 70s undergo a 12-week course that prepares them to be missionaries. He said the center trains about 300 people a year.
Filidis said staffers are usually former missionaries themselves and that the "mercy ministries" performed by trainees include orphanage work. He said he didn't know where the group being trained in Arvada was going to be sent.
Youth With a Mission was started in 1960 and now has 1,100 locations with 16,000 full-time staff, Smith said. The Arvada center was founded in 1984.
___ Contributing to this report were AP Religion Writer Eric Gorski and writer Colleen Slevin in Denver, and writer George Merritt in Arvada.
 
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#2 ·
Maybe it`s just me, but one thing I find a little odd perhaps is the fact that there were armed security personnel at the church campus to begin with. Does anyone know...is the location of this church a higher crime area/vandalism prone area that a church organization would have armed security? Have there been threats against this organization or any of it`s people? Don`t get me wrong...I`m very glad that this security woman was able to take the assailant out, I just find this a little odd.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Maybe it`s just me, but one thing I find a little odd perhaps is the fact that there were armed security personnel at the church campus to begin with. Does anyone know...is the location of this church a higher crime area/vandalism prone area that a church organization would have armed security? Have there been threats against this organization or any of it`s people? Don`t get me wrong...I`m very glad that this security woman was able to take the assailant out, I just find this a little odd.

It was in response to the shooting eariler in the day. The security at the church were members with their own weapons.

FYI It was a female security guard that shot the suspect.
 
#5 ·
Unfortunately today large churches are nut job magnets. At least this church has plans made to deal with reality. Turns out they had evacuation procedures and contigency plans for just such an attack. The "guard" was a volunteer, ex LEO with a ccw permit and her personal weapon.

Sadly, being in church is no shield from the crazies on the street any more and a smart church leader takes notice and precautions. Sad, truly sad.
 
#6 ·
I was just passing by the TV(FOX), and heard the pastor of the New Life Church in CO say, "that he was not surprised, this kind of thing happens all the time".

What part of the US is CO in? Church shootings happen all the time out there?
What the h*** is going on in Colorado?
:eek:
 
#8 ·
I was just passing by the TV(FOX), and heard the pastor of the New Life Church in CO say, "that he was not surprised, this kind of thing happens all the time".

What part of the US is CO in? Church shootings happen all the time out there?
What the h*** is going on in Colorado?
:eek:
My wife lived in CO for about 5 years and she said it truly is an old west way of living out there. And I suppose it is true about churches...and perhaps large churches more so than what I`m used to (small town USA churches ), for being a magnet for fruitcakes.
 
#9 ·
Well, I know about the "old west". I'm from Sacramento and have spent many a day in Northern New Mexico and Colorado. People didn't behave like that when I was there!

I can't buy passing this off as the 'old west' attitude. There is something else going on out there. How many has it been? 4? 5? Columbine and all these churches? Sure makes me wonder???
:eek:
 
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