Thread: New details emerge about suspected gunman in Tennessee church shooting

Sudanese with legal citizenship in Tennessee the state that has been overloaded with "refugees". No wonder the media wants to talk about football.

New details emerge about suspected gunman in Tennessee church shooting

By Joe Sterling, Jamiel Lynch and Emanuella Grinberg, CNN
Updated 9:20 PM ET, Mon September 25, 2017


(CNN)One day after a deadly church shooting in Antioch, Tennessee, new details began to emerge about the suspected gunman's prior contact with police and his activity leading up to the shooting.

One person was killed and seven others injured Sunday as services were wrapping up at the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ near Nashville.

Emanuel Kidega Samson, 25, of La Vergne, Tennessee, was charged with felony homicide and was being held without bond. Other charges are coming later, police said Monday. He will appear in court on Wednesday.
Samson acknowledged he was at the church Sunday and that he opened fire, Nashville police said.

Metro Nashville PD‏Verified account @MNPDNashville
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BREAKING: Alleged church shooter Emanuel Kidega Samson is being transported to jail.



7:54 PM - 24 Sep 2017

The Justice Department and FBI have opened a federal civil rights investigation into the shooting, and police said they are trying to establish the suspect's motive. Local police requested the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to run an "urgent trace" on a firearm, an ATF representative told CNN. The trace would give authorities an indication of where the gun was purchased, who purchased it and whether it was purchased legally, the ATF representative said.

Meanwhile, a community in mourning prepared for prayer vigils for victims and their families.

What we know about Samson

Police initially said Samson was African-American, but later identified him as Sudanese with legal US residency.

On Saturday, the day before the shooting, Samson worked a shift as a security guard for Crimson Security in Nashville, police said. He sent an email Sunday at 10:10 a.m., within an hour of the shooting, saying he appreciated the opportunity to work but would not be returning.

State records indicate Samson had held an unarmed security license between 2014-2016, Nashville police said. It had expired, and Samson attended a class on Friday to reinstate the unarmed license.

Over the past year, police in nearby Murfreesboro, Tennessee encountered Samson on three separate occasions.

On June 27th, Murfreesboro Police responded to the home of Samson's father after a 911 call reporting suicidal threats. His father told police that Samson had texted him shortly after midnight saying he had a gun to his head, according to a police report. Samson's father said he tried unsuccessfully to reach his son on the phone and did not know where he was.

Police pinged Samson's phone and found him at the Nashville office of security service provider G4S, Nashville Police said in a news conference Monday. Nashville Police officers met Samson at the office, dressed in professional business clothes. Samson told the officer that he was fine and not thinking of harming himself. The officer was satisfied that he was not a danger and left him.

Before the June incident, Murfreesboro Police responded to two domestic disturbance calls involving Samson and his former girlfriend.

In January, police responded to an address listed as Samson's home in Murfreesboro. During an argument, Jeanna Ambrose told police that Samson punched her TV and broke a small figurine, according to a police report.

They were fighting because he believed she had cheated on him, she told police. As she tried to leave the apartment, he demanded to speak to her and took her phone. She called police from a neighbor's home.

In March, police returned to the same home. Samson told police that he used to date Ambrose and that he was trying to break off contact with her but she "keeps coming around," a police report states. He said that, after a brief conversation at the door, she started to get loud and tried to push his door open as he tried to close it. Samson told police that he was in fear because "she has struck him in the past" but said she had not threatened or assaulted him that day. Ambrose told police she had come over to pick up some belongings and said she did not threaten or assault him.

Officers helped Ambrose retrieve her belongings and told her not to return to the apartment, the report states. Samson was told that he could no longer have contact with her.

From church parking lot to sanctuary


Samson told police that he had attended the church, but not recently. Church members confirmed this, telling police he attended the church one to two years ago, but that they had not seen him in a while and did not immediately recognize him because the gunman was masked.

Samson pulled into the church parking lot in a blue SUV and is believed to have waited there for several minutes before church let out, police said in a statement.

Samson shot and killed Melanie Crow Smith, 39, of Smyrna, Tennessee, in the parking lot as she was walking to her car, police said. She died at the scene.

The shooter then entered the church through the sanctuary's main door with two pistols and "began indiscriminately shooting," said Aaron, the police spokesman.

Minerva Rosa, who was inside the church when the shooting started, told reporters Sunday the gunman was silent when he opened fire.

About 50 people were still inside the sanctuary during the shooting.

Six people, ranging in age from 64 to 84, were wounded by gunfire, Aaron said.

One patient at Vanderbilt University Medical Center is in critical condition, the hospital said. It would not release the name.


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Megan Barry
✔@MayorMeganBarry

The shooting today at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ is a terrible tragedy for our city. Full statement: http://www.nashville.gov/News-Media/News-Article/ID/6817/Mayor-Megan-Barry-Statement-on-Burnette-Chapel-Church-of-Christ-Shooting.aspx …
1:49 PM - Sep 24, 2017

• 9696 Replies
• 623623 Retweets

Usher called 'a hero'

Church usher Robert Caleb Engle, 22, saw the shooting and confronted the gunman, Aaron said. During a struggle, Engle was pistol-whipped and the gunman mistakenly shot himself.

"The wound sent Samson to the floor. Engle, despite his head injuries, ran out to his car in the parking lot and retrieved a pistol. He held Samson at gunpoint until police arrived," a police statement said.

Police recovered four firearms believed to be Samson's -- two pistols in the church and a pistol and rifle from his SUV.

Without Engle, "I think it could be worse," Rosa said. "He was a hero today."

Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson said Engle "stopped this madness, so we're very, very, very grateful to him."

"He's the hero," Anderson said.

Engle released a statement through the hospital where he was treated, saying he did not want to be labeled a hero.

"I've been going to this church my whole life, since I was a small child," he said. "I would have never, ever thought something like this would have happened."

He asked for prayers for the victims and their families, adding, "Please pray for the shooter, the shooter's family and friends. They are hurting as well."

He said, "The real heroes are the police, first responders and medical staff and doctors who have helped me and everyone affected."

Community prayers


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Metro Nashville PD
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Gunman opens fire at Church of Christ Burnette Chapel on Pin Hook Road. 1 woman dead in parking lot...6 other innocents shot...
12:44 PM - Sep 24, 2017


Prayer vigils will be held Monday to show support for the victims and their families.

An event led by area religious leaders was held at Woodmont Hills Church in Nashville.

Another will be outside Burnette Chapel Church of Christ at 7 p.m. local time.

"We are beyond grateful for the enormous outpouring of love and compassion we have received from so many after the tragic event that took place yesterday," the church said on its Facebook page Monday.

"We ask for your continued prayers and support during the coming days and months."

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/25/us/ten...obe/index.html

Surprise! The Tennessee Church Shooter Is A Muslim Refugee From Sudan

By
Carlisle du Rozel -
September 24, 2017

182

After one woman was killed and seven other people were killed in a church shooting on Sunday morning, officials identified the perpetrator as 25-year-oldEmanuel Kidega Samson. When confronted by an usher, Samson accidentally shot himself, and has been taken into police custody. The woman murdered by Samson has been identified as 39-year-old Melanie Crow, a single mother of two.

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Jeremy Finley
✔@WSMVJeremyITEAM

Family friend confirms Melanie Smith Crow was shot and killed at church. A single mother of two, she was described as sweet and kind.
4:27 PM - Sep 24, 2017

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The FBI has launched a civil rights investigation regarding the blatantly racial character of the violent assault. “The Memphis FBI Field Office’s Nashville Resident Agency, the Civil Rights Division, and the US Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee have opened a civil rights investigation into the shooting at the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch, Tennessee,” saidDavid Boling, spokesman for the U.S. attorney in Nashville.

“The FBI will collect all available facts and evidence. As this is an ongoing investigation we are not able to comment further at this time.”

The New York Post has identified Samson as an immigrant from Sudan, which is a majority Islamic country with over a 95% Muslim community. Notably, Sudan is also one of the six Muslim countries on Trump’s executive migration ban.

Samson’s actions can be considered to have been influenced by Colin Kaepernick and other black American football players who have opted to take the knee during the national anthem at football games. This can be assumed from his Facebook cover photo being a photo of a black man “taking a knee.” This action is supposed to exemplify one’s opposition to systemic racism and the historical racial issues that permeate the American identity. Evidently, the movement has extended beyond the football scene and into anti-white extremism in the person of Emanuel Samson.


So, surprise, surprise. The glory of multiculturalism has led to the death of a white woman, a phenomenon that will expand and multiply if not properly addressed. What is the world’s response to this outrageous display of racial hatred? Likely, tears of sympathy and prayers will be offered in the memory of a murdered white woman as the underlying cause of the atrocity continues to enjoy unquestioned prominence in our socio-political policies. There is no justification of this atrocity. Sudan was placed on Trump’s executive ban list for this very reason, yet somebody, somehow, somewhere will turn this situation around to the fault of whites.

The West is crumbling in the name of tolerance and co-existence. Will Americans awaken to the reality of cultural collapse around them? Or will they continue to enjoy willful ignorance of the dangers of radical inclusion? The clock is ticking, but as always, the pendulum swings.

https://squawker.org/world/surprise-the-tennessee-church-shooter-is-a-muslim-refugee-from-sudan/

Before importing people from highly inbreed populations and giving them legal permanent residency, they should have tests for mental damage that could cause violence, schizophrenia.

Sudan has 63% muslim inbreeding rate with 95% of Sudanese being muslim.

Look at the size of this creep, his arms and he tells the police he was "in fear" of his girlfriend because she struck him before. Calls his father he has a gun to his head. The guy has mental issues and took the life of a single mom coming from church - it is sick and he should have never be allowed into this country.

How does someone with a negative mental history acquire guns?

There needs to be more screenings and less immigrants into this country. We should not be obligated to take mentally unstable beings in.

• 70% of Pakistanis are inbred.
• 67% of Saudi Arabians are inbred.
• 64% of those living in Jordan and Kuwait are inbred.
• 63% of Sudanese are inbred.
• 60% of Iraqis are inbred.
• 54% of Muslims in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar are inbred.
• 25-30% of those in Turkey are inbred.
• In England, at least 55% of Pakistani immigrants are married to their first cousins.
• In Denmark the number of inbred Pakistani immigrants is around 40%.
• https://fellowshipoftheminds.com/201...ons-of-incest/

Who they are: Burnette Chapel Church of Christ shooting victims

Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee
Published 12:47 p.m. CT Sept. 25, 2017 | Updated 2:54 p.m. CT Sept. 25, 2017

As many as eight people were wounded in a shooting at a church in Antioch, Tennessee, which is near Nashville. Wochit

These are the victims shot during Sunday morning's deadly mass shooting at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch. Here are their stories:
More: Nashville church shooting: The tragedy as told through heroes and survivors

Linda Bush

Linda Bush, 68, was shot and is in stable condition. As of Monday she remained hospitalized at Vanderbilt University Medical Center
The Antioch native is recovering after a gunshot wound to her knee that she suffered inside the church at 3890 Pin Hook Road.

A friend and former coworker at the Metro Codes Department, where Bush worked for 30-plus years, posted an update on Facebook that Bush is doing “okay,” but will need surgeries on knee.
Metro Codes Director Terry Cobb said it was a shock to learn Bush was one of the victims. Bush worked at the Codes Department for about 30 years before retiring eight years ago, Cobb said.


Linda Bush (Photo: Courtesy of Facebook)

Cobb described Bush as a model employee who handled administrative matters in the Codes’ back office. She oversaw permits, inspection tracking, property standards records and other Codes related documents, Cobb said.

“She was a great employee, a great person and great employee,” Cobb said. “She came to work and needed what needed to be done every day, she pitched in and helped others with whatever they needed. She is a good person.”

Donald William and Marlene Jenkins

Donald William Jenkins, 83, and his wife Marlene Jenkins, 84, were shot. Both remained hospitalized Monday at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in stable condition.

The couple, both members at the church, live in Antioch. Prior to that they lived in Nashville.

Donald Jenkins, who goes by Don, owns the Athens Paper Company in Nashville and is a past board member at Ezell-Hardin Christian School in Antioch (1998 to 2015).

Those who know them call them respected and well-loved members of the community who are active in churches across the Nashville area.

Ezell Hardin Christian School Upper School Principal Rachel Goode said Don Jenkins was chairman of the board at the school from 2007 to 2011.
"Don and Marlene are extremely loving people," Goode said.

Their grandson graduated from the school in 2012, but Goode said they continue to support it.

s

"Ms. Jenkins even brings by box tops that she collects for our school regularly," Good said. "Don was a big supporter of our indoor baseball facility. The Jenkins are a very generous family and are very personal people. They remember kids specifically and make a point to ask how students are doing."

Steve Tucker of Antioch, a long-time friend of the Jenkins, called them a friendly, loving couple.

"William "Don" Jenkins was one of my first baseball coaches way back at Una Recreation Center. Used to run into him at Ezell and was and still is one of my favorite coaches," Tucker wrote on his Facebook page. "Prayers to all the families but especially for Don and his wife who were both shot."


David Joseph Spann and Peggy Spann

David Joseph Spann, 66, and his wife Peggy Spann, 65, were shot and are in stable condition. As of Monday they remained hospitalized at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
David Spann is the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ's minister.

On Sunday, church goer Minerva Rosa, who applied pressure to Spann's chest while waiting for help to arrive, said the minister shouted, "run," as the shooter entered the church.
Spann, a bi-vocational minister, also teaches Bible classes at Nashville Christian School and coaches the school's middle and high school girls basketball teams. The school has asked for people to pray for Spann and his wife in a statement posted on Facebook.

Spann also coached at Ezell-Harding Christian School and Goodpasture Christian School.

Spann was a dedicated minister too, said Scott Sager, a vice president of church relations at Lipscomb University, a Church of Christ college.

"He's just an all-around really great guy, really cares about kids and people and has done really faithful work out here," Sager said.

In 2011, Spann survived sudden cardiac arrest while coaching Goodpasture Christian School’s girls’ basketball team. The team was playing their rival David Lipscomb Campus School when he collapsed and an automated external defibrillator was used to revive him.



Goodpasture Coach Joey Spann, second from left, hugs nurse Annette Brewer, second from right, with nurses Sharon Crocker, left, and Angel Carter after speaking at David Lipscomb in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, March 25, 2011. These nurses saved him when he had a heart attack during a game. (Photo: JAE S. LEE / THE TENNESSEAN)


Catherine Dickerson

Catherine Dickerson, 64, was shot and was taken to TriStar Skyline Medical Center.

Dickerson, who works in real estate, was out of the hospital and recovering on Sunday night after a bullet tore through her left thigh.

She heard gunfire in the church parking lot and people shouting, ‘He’s got a gun!’


Burnette Chapel Church of Christ shooting victim Catherine Dickerson. Photo used with permission (Photo: Photo submitted)


After she was shot, Dickerson, who has been attending church there for about six months, played dead to avoid the attention of the gunman.

“I got up close to the wall so if somebody came in they would probably walk past me, and put my purse over my face so I couldn’t be seen,” Dickerson said. “I just laid quietly and played like I was dead.”

Robert Caleb Engle

Robert "Caleb" Engle, 22, was pistol whipped after confronting the shooting suspect and is being called a "hero" by police. He was taken to TriStar Skyline Medical Center where he was treated and released Sunday night.

Engle says he’s attended Burnette Chapel Church of Christ since he was a little kid.

Described by a friend as a gentle giant, Engle confronted Samson inside the church, police say. During the struggle Samson reportedly pistol-whipped Engle in the head. In the midst of the same confrontation, Samson was shot in the chest with his own gun.

After Samson went down, Engle went out to his truck and retrieved his own gun. He helped subdue Samson until police arrived.



Robert "Caleb" Engle (Photo: Facebook)

“I pray that through all of this that people will come to know Christ and I ask our nation to reflect on Romans 8:31: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Caleb said in a statement issued by TryStar Skyline hospital, where he was treated for his injuries and released.

Although he declined to be interviewed, his grandmother Rheta Engle said she was very proud of him.

"That’s like him. He’s just someone who cares about a lot of people. He has all their feelings at heart," his 69-year-old grandmother said.

Metro Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson said Engle is a “hero.” In his statement, Engle said, “I do not want to be labeled a hero. The real heroes are the police, first responders and medical staff and doctors who have helped me and everyone affected.”

Melanie Crow Smith

Melanie Crow Smith, 39, died after being fatally shot outside the church as she left the building.

Smith, who lived in Smyrna, is survived by a husband and two children.

More: Neighbors grieve for woman killed as she left Antioch church


Melanie Crow Smith (Photo: Courtesy of Facebook)

Her neighbor Sarah Musgraves said her family and Smith's family had spent time at each other's homes.

"We were good friends with the family," Musgraves said. "We've gone trick-or-treating. My daughter was the best friend of her daughter. They were really good friends in middle school and high school."

Musgraves recalled helping her neighbor by watching Smith's son when Smith had to leave for work early.

"She loved her kids," Musgraves said. "It's just that she loved life. She had a lot of good friends. She's a very sweet person. She's very caring."
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Nate Rau and David Boucher contributed to this report. Reach Natalie Neysa Alund at nalund@tennessean.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.

http://www.tennessean.com/story/news...tes/699299001/