Like a Skeleton Man

I don't believe this story: Security Guard: 'God Guided Me And Protected Me': for a minute. This is totally false. This story is fake.

When asked by a reporter if she felt like a hero, Assam said, "I wasn't just going to wait for him to do further damage."

"I give credit to God," she said.

Guns are bad and we should ban them. I believe this as a liberal. Yes ban guns. This was in a church. Ban the guns!

UPDATE: D'oh!

The man who killed four people at a church and missionary training center died of a self-inflicted shotgun wound, police said Tuesday.

Comments

[tim quick]

Persecuted, oppressed groups need guns to protect themselves. After all, controlling most of the wealth, all three branches of government, and the bulk of the media has not been enough to keep conservative christians safe. As long as the army, the army reserves, ROTC, and most of the boy scouts are deployed to the Middle East they need their guns! (I know, I know I need to put this in all caps and add more exclamation points.)

[mds]

Well, on the plus side, I must say that relying on security personnel, rather than simply allowing everyone to pack heat in church (as a proposed Arizona law would have done), is a good thing.

But yes, I always thank Jesus for the power He gives me to shoot to kill. Wouldn't the strength of the Prince of Peace been better spent on allowing her to calm him down, or giving her super-hypnosis ("He is the Master, and you will obey Him.")? What about casting out the demons that were clearly in him? Even sufficient speed and strength to tackle and subdue would mean that the troubled lad would still be alive to receive further witness, instead of burning in Hell as we speak.

Oh, well, maybe if more Quaker meetings beef up the lethal force, I'll have to change my tune.

(Too bad God didn't give her the strength to be out in the parking lot, though. Wonder what those victims had done wrong.)

[Molly Ivors]

(I know, I know I need to put this in all caps and add more exclamation points.)

Plus, it's spelled correctly. You must fix that right now.

[va]

I'm used to seeing cops-as-heroes stories used to cover up an atrocity. But wow, making shit up out of whole cloth just to vaguely, indirectly (on the dogwhistle frequencies, no less) push a policy point is barking mad.

[actor212]

Oh, I believe it.

The new Life church is one them megacathedrals, built with the $5 donations sent in nationwide from grannies and orphans.

I mean, fercrissake, Thers...you need a fucking MAP to get around the grounds!

It makes sense they would have hired their own security force, from within their congregation. There's a lot of money in that pastor-- I mean, the collection plates.

As a Christian, and a liberal, this embarasses me to no end.

[Steve Balboni]

Looks like they didn't need her after all, the gunman killed himself

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hU4ax39rFCnqHnipVp5TCGP6TKqgD8TFEB7G0

[billy pilgrim]

Wait- you mean rightwing blogs are jumping to conclusions that support their insane biases, in advance of and ignoring the facts?

Say it isn't so!

[cb]

I don't think "making shit up out of whole cloth" is a fair characterization of the wingnutosphere this time.

The first sentence of the story: "The man who killed four people at a church and missionary training center shot himself in the head and died after being hit by shots from a church security officer, police said Tuesday."

[va]

Ah, good call cb. I guess Jesus loves guns after all.

[SenderC]

That crazy God guy -- you never know what he's going to do. He protects a middle-aged woman but allows two teenage girls attending the same church to die. Maybe his reaction time has slowed down in his old age.

[MikeJ]

It's sad that the obviously disturbed guy harmed others and then shot himself, but the upside is now the guard doesn't have the guilt of having taken a human life weighing on her.

Hahahahahah! Right! Guilt for killing! I had you going for a second though, didn't I?

[Snag]

Why would you think the story is false? Simply because the security guard was fired several years ago by the Minneapolis police for lying?

http://tinyurl.com/ywwm8e

From CNN.com: "Assam, a church security guard with law enforcement experience, fired her own weapon at the invader and stopped his attack, police say... Police said they were still investigating whether Assam's weapon killed Murray, or whether he might have died of a self-inflicted gunshot."

Whether or not she actually killed him, the police are saying she did stop his attack by shooting him a few times. The fact that she lied about swearing at a bus driver in minneapolis does not seem that pertinent.

[spencer]

From CNN.com: "Assam, a church security guard with law enforcement experience, fired her own weapon at the invader and stopped his attack, police say... Police said they were still investigating whether Assam's weapon killed Murray, or whether he might have died of a self-inflicted gunshot."

And from Thers' update (which was there before you posted this comment):

The man who killed four people at a church and missionary training center died of a self-inflicted shotgun wound, police said Tuesday.

So it seems your / CNN's information is a bit out of date at this point.

[cb]

spencer -- I read ther's update before I posted.

The issue being discussed is not "did the guard kill the shooter, or did he commit suicide?" So far inconclusive, but most reports say the guy killed himself.

But that's not the actual issue. The story the wingnuts are so happy with is this: "Armed citizen stops crazy maniac thanks to her trusty handgun." Whether she actually killed him isn't important. If she shot him in the leg or something and after being shot, he was unable to continue his rampage and instead blew his own head off, then that's a rather significant data point for the anti-gun control side.

[actor212]

CB,

How do we know that wound stopped him (assuming she even hit the guy?)

He might simply have decided he was done. Remember, his note said he'd be famous for this, which implies he'd want to leave on a high note.

[cb]

did you follow the link entitled "D'oh"?

quoting: "Matthew Murray, 24, was struck multiple times by a security officer at New Life Church Sunday but died after firing a single shot at himself, the El Paso County Coroner's Office concluded after an autopsy."

[cb]

and again, from yahoo:
"An autopsy Tuesday determined that Murray killed himself with a bullet to the head after he was brought down by gunfire from a volunteer security guard at the church, authorities say."
http://tinyurl.com/3993sp

The right wing claim (quote from reynolds): "Meanwhile, it's more evidence that people don't stop killers, people with guns do."

Again, whether or not her shots were fatal, how can this narrative be fairly characterized as "totally false"? 1) Gunman enters with intent to kill loads of people. 2) Gunman is shot multiple times by armed citizen. 3) Gunman is unable to continue killing spree and commits suicide.

You certainly can disagree that this means that people should be allowed to carry guns wherever they go (and I do), but you can't dismiss this story as "fake." In this case, that woman probably saved a lot of lives (unless you are going to make the argument that the bullets fired into him had little to no effect on his decision to kill himself)

These loons are right on so few occasions, I believe it is important to acknowledge when the evidence is in their favor.

[Brenda McDowell]

By reading a few of these comments, it's obvious that Matthew Murray is not the only one who follows Satan. Jeanne's Assam's story is true. My family goes to that church and know her. Anyone who doesn't believe her story, has never witnessed the power of God. Sorry, you should seek Him out, kind of like Jeanne did, unless of course you are too self-centered. I guess your name should be Judas!

[Brenda McDowell]

First of all, I am a New Lifer! No you don't need a map to get around. It is too bad that Jeanne couldn't have stopped all of the deaths, but at least she prevented a further blood bath! I guess being sprayed with bullets, Matthew might have lost incentive to further his killings. I intend to shake Jeanne's hand for her courage. She makes me ashamed of myself. But how many of us even go to church every Sunday? Anyone who hasn't had an encounter with the Holy Spirit doesn't know what they are missing! As far as any "sins" Jeanne did before, who is without sin cast the first stone! We are all sinners.

[Thers]

Again, whether or not her shots were fatal, how can this narrative be fairly characterized as "totally false"?

Me? I was just trolling. Hoped to attract more loons.

[Thers]

But how many of us even go to church every Sunday?

I would, but it's too dangerous. I don't go anywhere that you need to pack heat.