KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A gunman opened fire at a church youth performance Sunday, killing two people, including a man witnesses called a hero for shielding others from a shotgun blast.
Seven adults were also injured but no children were harmed at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church. Members said they dove under pews or ran from the building when the shooting started.
Congregants tackled the gunman.
Jim D. Adkisson, 58, was charged with first-degree murder and held on $1 million bail, according to city spokesman Randy Kenner.
The slain man was identified as Greg McKendry, 60, a longtime church member and usher. Church member Barbara Kemper said McKendry “stood in the front of the gunman and took the blast to protect the rest of us.”
Linda Kraeger, 61, died at the University of Tennessee Medical Center a few hours after the shooting, Kenner said.
Five people remained hospitalized in critical or serious condition.
The gunman’s motive is not yet known. The church, like many other Unitarian Universalist churches, promotes progressive social work, such as desegregation and fighting for the rights of women and gays. The Knoxville congregation has provided sanctuary for political refugees, fed the homeless and founded a chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, according to its Web site.
Kemper said the gunman shouted before he opened fire.
“It was hateful words. He was saying hateful things,” she said, but refused to elaborate.
Neighbors described Adkisson as a friendly man who would often work on his motorcycle outside and go on long rides on the weekends.
Melissa Coker, 44, said Adkisson had lived next door since she moved in four or five years ago. She said he had been a truck driver, but she didn’t believe he’d had steady work in the last six months or so.
“He’s just a really, really nice guy,” Coker said.
Glenda Blair, 54, who also lives next door, said Adkisson did not seem like a threat.
The shooting started as about 200 people watched 25 children perform a show based on the musical “Annie.”
Church member Mark Harmon said he thought the “incredibly loud bang” was part of the play, then he heard a second loud bang. As he dove for cover, he realized a woman behind him was bleeding. She looked like she was in shock, touching her wound, he said.
“It seems so unreal,” Harmon said. “You’re sitting in church, you’re watching a children’s performance of a play and suddenly you hear a bang.”
Witnesses reported hearing about three blasts from the 12-gauge shotgun, which spreads pellets when the shot leaves the barrel. Witnesses said they did not recognize the gunman.
Church members said the gunman was tackled by John Bohstedt, who played “Daddy Warbucks” in the performance.
Friends of McKendry said he was friendly with everyone.
“Greg McKendry was a very large gentleman, one of those people you might describe as a refrigerator with a head,” said member Schera Chadwick, whose husband, Ted Lollis, arrived at the church just after the shooting. “He looked like a football player. He did obviously stand up and put himself in between the shooter and the congregation.”
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