1 dead, 7 hurt in church shooting; suspect, who shot self, in custody

No connection between gunman, any victim apparent.

— A masked NASHVILLE,TENN. gunman entered a church in Tennessee on Sunday and opened fire, killing at least one person and injuring seven others before apparently shooting himself, an official said.

Don Aaron, spokesman for the Metro Nashville Police Department, said the gunman arrived at the parking lot in a blue vehicle as services were ending at the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in the neighborhood of Antioch.

Aaron said the suspect — wearing a half mask — fatally shot a woman who was walking to her vehicle, then entered the rear of the church, and shot six people.

Aaron says an usher at the church was pistol-whipped when he confronted the suspect, who then apparently shot himself during the struggle. Aaron says the usher then went to his own car to retrieve his gun, returned and stood over the suspect until police arrived.

Aaron said it was unclear whether the self-inflicted wound was intentional.

The gunman and five others were treated for gunshot wounds at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Aaron said. One gunshot victim and the man who was pistol-whipped were taken to Skyline Medical Center for treatment.

Aaron said the condition of the suspect from Rutherford County wasn’t believed to be life-threatening. He was under police guard. Aaron identified the suspect as 25-yearold Emanuel Kidega Samson of Murfreesboro. Aaron says Samson was discharged from Vanderbilt University Hospital and charging warrants were being obtained.

Aaron said he was “not aware” of any relationship between Samson and any of the worshipers inside the church. Congregants who witnessed the shootings were being interviewed by investigators.

No motive for the shooting was immediately determined. Aaron said as many as 50 people were in the church at the time of the shooting, and that all victims were adults.

The small, yellow brick church describes itself on its website as a “friendly, Bible based group of folks who love the Lord and are interested in spreading His Word to those who are lost.”

Photos on the church’s Facebook page show a diverse congregation with people of various ages and ethnicities.

Nashville Mayor Megan Barry said in a statement Sunday that the shooting is “a terrible tragedy for our city.”

Barry says her “heart aches for the family and friends of the deceased, as well as for the wounded victims and their loved ones.

“Their lives have been forever changed, as has the life of their faith community at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ.”