Jul 27, 2008 4:15 pm US/Pacific
Church Rampage Leaves 2 Dead, 7 Hurt
Shooter Takes Aim During Children's Performance
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (CBS News) ―
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A man walked into a Knoxville, Tenn. church and open fired Sunday, killing two and injuring 7 others.
CBS
A Tennessee city official says a second victim has died from injuries suffered in a shooting at a church youth performance.
Knoxville spokesman Randall Kenner says 61-year-old Linda Kraeger died at University of Tennessee Medical Center on Sunday, several hours after the shooting. Sixty-year-old Greg McKendry died earlier in the day.
Fifty-eight-year-old Jim Adkisson is in custody and charged with first-degree murder in the shootings that also left seven injured.
Members of the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church were watching a children's performance when the shooting broke out. No children were injured.
Knoxville Police Chief Sterling Owen identified one of the people killed as 60-year-old Greg McKendry, an usher and longtime church member.
The shooting occurred at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church at approximately 10:15 a.m., when children were putting on a musical. There were about 200 people in the church at the time.
Witnesses said the gunman, described as white with blond hair, appearing to be in his mid-40s and wearing a T-shirt and jeans, entered and fired two or three times.
Churchgoers tackled the gunman and restrained him until police arrived. The suspect is in custody.
The shooter is not believed to be a member of the church.
Sunday morning's service, which started at 10:00 a.m., was a performance called "Annie Jr.", done by children in the summer musical theater workshop.
Church member Drevik said that none of the victims were children.
"We don't know why," Drevik said when asked to speculate on the shooter's motive. "We don't know this particular individual. We may never know why."
Several ambulances took the victims from the scene to the nearby University of Tennessee Medical Center.
The hospital is not releasing information on their conditions, though a church member who arrived moments after the shooting says some victims had head injuries.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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