« Local News Roundup, Thurs., Dec. 6, 2007 | Main | Jeanne Assam, "Hero" of New Life Shooting Speaks to the Press »
New Life Church Shootings - UPDATE - Shooter Identified
December 9, 2007 4:24 PM
Brady Boyd, head pastor at New Life Church addresses the media Monday morning, Dec. 10, 2007
3 p.m. update, Dec. 10, 2007 COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) - A law enforcement official says the deadly rampages at a megachurch and a missionary training school were believed to have been carried out by the same person - Matthew Murray, a 24-year-old suburban Denver man who "hated Christians."
Text below updated at 1pm:
The two people killed in a shooting spree at New Life Church in Colorado Springs are being identified today as teenage sisters. Eighteen-year-old Stephanie Works and 16-year-old Rachael Works were killed when the gunman opened fire with a high-powered rifle. Senior Pastor Brady Boyd said ``our hearts are grieving this morning for them.'' One of the three people who were injured in the attack was the girls' father, 51-year-old David Works, who's in fair condition with gunshot wounds in his abdomen and groin area. Also injured were 40-year-old Judy Purcell, who suffered a gunshot wound to her right shoulder, and 59-year-old Larry Bourbannais, who had a gunshot wound in his left forearm. Both were treated and released. Boyd says ``the others that were wounded yesterday are doing well. All of them should recover. They don't have life-threatening injuries.''
Boyd said the gunman had no connection to the church, and called the incident a ``senseless random attack.'' He said the New Life security guard who shot and killed the gunman was a volunteer but he did not release her name. ``She's a real hero'' says Boyd this morning outside the church, "She probably saved 100 lives,'' because the gunman ``had a lot of ammunition to do a lot of damage.'' Boyd says the guard is a member of the church with a law enforcement background, but said she is not currently a law enforcement officer. He did say security was increased at the church after the earlier shootings in Arvada. Two people were killed on the Youth With a Mission campus after a staffer told a man he could not spend the night there.
Witnesses to yesterday's shooting spree at New Life described a horrific scene as a gunman opened fire there following a church service. Jessie Gingrich had left New Life and was in the parking lot getting into her car when she saw the gunman get a rifle from his trunk and open fire on a van full of people. She says she then cowered in her car, fumbling with the ignition key. She told ABC's ``Good Morning America'' today that she was expecting the next gunshot to come through her car, but ``by the grace of God, it did not.'' Ashley Gibbs was getting into a car when she heard the gunshots, which she said sounded like someone was kicking ice from the side of a car. She told NBC's ``Today'' show that she prayed God would bring him peace.
We will keep you posted as we learn more.
Here is a link to an AP story at NPR's website: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17060196
Posted by Delaney Utterback on December 9, 2007 4:24 PM | Permalink
