GUILTY TN - Two killed, 6 injured in Knoxville church shooting, 27 July 2008

[mysteriew]

It looks like they have good reason to look at this as a hate crime.

 

[gaia227]

I think it is pretty clear he targeted this church because it is a Unitarian Universalists church who was involved with the ACLU, women's rights, gay/lesbian rights, fed and housed the homeless and was generally associated with 'liberal' viewpoints. According to witnesses he was shouting explicit, derogatory things when he opened fire.

This hits close to home as I used to go to a UU church and my step dad is a Unitarian Universalist minister. The UU church does a lot of charity work and is filled with good people who have good intentions.

 

[lightwaveryder]

this may sound sacreligious to some, but reflecting other posters views...i support any church that wants to hire a security presence to protect their parishioners on the sacred ground.
weapons and christianity have always coexisted, as long as they are used for defense, i don't believe the big man has an issue with it.



~lightwaveryder~

 

[CyberLaw]

It is a pretty sad day when a church has to go to the additional expense of hiring security for Sunday services.

I read the man was "upset" that he lost his job and that he did not like liberals. By "liberal" it is described that this church was "into" social changes, like non discrimination, gender equality, gay rights.

Very sad, that a church and its members cannot work for social change and inclusion without having some "nut" bring a gun into services and shoot people because he does not agree with the teaching of some people.

Very, very sad

 

[angarella]

This is very sad indeed. This church is just minutes from where I live. I attend an AA meeting there every Friday night. I just passed by and there are tents, memorials and TONS of media all over the place.

My thoughts and prayers to all the families involved.

 

[bluestarzz]

i live near here.....supposably his ex wife was a member (not now i think), so that probably brought this church to his attention plus the recent news published about the church. he also had threatened his wife (to kill her) like in 2000, she took out an order or protection against him and filed for divorce. his address is so close to powell elementary school, yikes !!!
i am truely sorry for his innocent victums..hopefully knoxville will get this
guy locked down in jail for the rest of his life.
bluestarzz

 

[imamaze]

This really is a sad and scary situation :-(

A murderer's bookshelf: Hannity, O'Reilly, and Savage on killer's reading list
http://reclaimthemedia.org/media_literacy_bias/a_murderers_bookshelf_hannity_=6100
This evening we learn from the Knoxville News that officers entering the home of murder Jim Adkisson "found Liberalism is a Mental Health Disorder by radio talk show host Michael Savage, Let Freedom Ring by talk show host Sean Hannity, and The O'Reilly Factor, by television talk show host Bill O'Reilly."

I do realize that there is something wrong with this man, but I also find it disturbing the things these radio and talk show host put out.

Ima

 

[OkieGranny]

From February 2009:

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/29104696/...s-life-sentence-church-shooting/#.Vhu87rT8FWY

An out-of-work truck driver smiled Monday as he pleaded guilty to killing two people and wounding six others at a Tennessee church last summer because he hated its liberal politics. "Yes, ma'am, I am guilty as charged," Jim D. Adkisson, 58, told Criminal Court Judge Mary Beth Leibowitz before she sentenced him to life in prison without parole...

Two survivors each lost vision in one eye, one was left in a coma for several days after the shooting and another has endured several follow-up surgeries since.

"I think I am going to move on," said victim Tammy Sommers, 38, who suffered a traumatic brain injury and only recently returned to work. "But he is in prison... and I want him to stay in prison."