Church shooting: 2nd victim dies; authorities search accused man's house
A second victim has died from this morning's shooting at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church.
Linda Kraeger, 61, died this evening at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, according to City of Knoxville spokesman Randy Kenner.
She attended Westside Unitarian Universalist Church in Farragut and was visiting the Kingston Pike church to watch the children's play.
A church member, Greg McKendry, 60, was killed when he confronted the gunman as he entered the church.
Jim D. Adkisson, 58, of Powell has been charged with first-degree in the death of McKendry.
Knoxville police, the Knoxville Police Department bomb squad and FBI agents are executing a search warrant at Adkisson's house, 1919 Levy Road.
The presence of the bomb squad is precautionary, according to authorities, and the FBI is providing investigative support.
Adkisson is being held on a $1 million bond at the Knox County Detention Facility in the death of McKendry.
Adkisson is accused of opening fire during a children's play, shooting eight people with a 12-gauge shotgun, according to Knoxville Police Chief Sterling P. Owen IV.
Seven of the wounded were taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center, according to spokeswoman Becky Thompson.
All were adults: four women and three men.
Earlier today, some of those patients were listed in critical and serious condition.
Another victim was trampled and was treated and released at a hospital, Owen said during a press conference this afternoon.
McKendry confronted the gunman during a children's presentation of the musical, "Annie Jr!"
"He was the first person he encountered," according to Owen.
"Greg McKendry stood in the front of the gunman and took the blast to protect the rest of us," witness Barbara Kemper said.
"Make sure everyone knows that Greg McKendry was a hero, a total hero," Taylor Bessette said of the man who has been his foster father just a few months.
The gunman was described as having no connection to the church and was taken into custody within minutes of the shooting, according to Owen, and no motive was immediately available.
The church is located just west of the University of Tennessee.
Police dispatchers received a report of the shooting at 10:18 a.m. and took a man into custody at 10:22 a.m.
He was carrying the shotgun and had some sort of bag with extra ammunition, according to authorities.
The FBI is assisting in the investigation, Owen said, "In the event it turns out to be a hate crime."
Owen said when authorities learned of the shooting, police officers were sent to other churches to provide security.
"We've gone to some in the county and in other counties as well," Owen said. He declined to identify the churches targeted for additional security, however, the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church was a strong proponent of gay rights in the community.
The chief declined to release the suspect's name but said the shooter lives in the Knoxville area.
"We want to make sure we have all the places covered that he frequents before others start heading out to talk to some of these people," Owen said.
Asked about the children who were performing, Owen said the shooting was "in sight of them and all the people shot were in the line of fire."
McKendry's foster son Taylor was a member of the cast, getting ready to take the stage and said the shooter was carrying a guitar case.
Church member John Bohstedt said in addition to the guitar case, the gunman carried a smaller case that could have been a photo bag. Bohstedt said the man took a shotgun out, walked to the back door on the right back corner of the sanctuary and took two shots,
Kemper said the gunman walked into the side of the sanctuary after firing one shot from a hallway.
She said the gunman was yelling "hateful things" and was wearing a red, white and blue T-shirt.
"He looked like bad guy." Kemper said.
The gunman was shooting indiscriminately, Kemper said. She said at least four shotgun blasts were fired on the Second Presbyterian side of the church.
She said church members who were in the play, Bohstedt and Terry Uselton, jumped on the gunman and restrained him.
Members began telling McKendry to take a breath.
Kemper tried to comfort a little boy whose mother had been shot in the head. She said there was a handprint of blood on the back of the boys's shirt.
Religious Education Director Brian Griffin stepped forward and oversaw efforts to calm the crowd and talk to authorities, witness Ted Lollis said.
"Everybody is shocked," Lollis said, but "there was a lot of heroics."
After the shooting and after the gunman was restrained, all the members of the church left out the doors behind the front of the sanctuary.
Drevik said he saw three men and two women with gunshot wounds, described as shotgun pellets to the scalp.
The suspect was taken to KPD's headquarters on the third floor of the Safety Building downtown where he is being interviewed, according to Owen.
"The church was full," police Lt. Jerry Armstrong said.
The musical was a culmination of a summer theater workshop conducted by the Church Music Director, Vicki Masters.
According to Lollis, congregants were expecting the unexpected in the inter-generational service because it was a children's performance.
Masters reportedly turned around with a look of horror on her face and started running towards the sounds.
Everyone was "wrapped up listening to these kids because they were doing a great job," said witness Sheila Bowen, a retired nurse who delivered babies.
She said she heard six or seven shots.
"Oh my God, they were so loud," she said.
At first she said she thought the loud noises might have been part of the play.
She said she heard a man say "get out, get out of here."
She did not see the suspect because "he was on the ground and a really strong hefty guy had him pinned down."
Church minister the Rev. Chris Buice, who was on vacation in Asheville, N. C. at the time of the shooting, stood outside the church today and asked for the public's prayers.
"We have been touched by a horrible act of violence," Buice said.
Leigh Ann Dickert, who lives next door to the church, said when she first heard the shots, she thought the church was having some kind of race and the screams were cheers.
When the cheering went on too long she said she realized they were screams. She looked out her window and saw people running through the parking lot.
Dickert said she went up to one of the parishioners who told her that a man came into the church with a shotgun concealed in a guitar case.
The man apparently walked up to another man in the back of the church, shot him "point blank, right there" and then opened fire on the crowd, she said.
The man was tackled when he paused to reload.
By early afternoon, about five police chaplains were on the scene, the Knoxville chapter of the American Red Cross was providing water, and witnesses continued to be questioned inside the church building.
Members who were not witnesses were being permitted to leave the grounds.
"The Red Cross is … providing counseling and meals to all the personnel that are there, congregation and emergency service workers," Knoxville Fire Department Capt. Brent Seymour said. KFD provides first-responder emergency services and sent three vehicles to the scene immediately. An on-call EMS worker was on the nearby Cumberland Avenue Strip, heard the call and went to the church as well, Seymour said.
The Red Cross is "bringing in mental health workers for anyone who wishes to talk."
Shortly after 1 p.m., members of the Red Cross walked into the church with their arms filled with teddy bears. Bears are often used to comfort children.
The church's minister, the Rev. Chris Buice, was on vacation in Asheville, N.C., and drove immediately back when he was notified of the shooting.
"Greg McKendry - we loved him," Buice said, his eyes filling with tears at the afternoon press conference.
"We loved Greg McKendry, please pray for this congregation because we are grieving the loss of a wonderful man."
In a statement, Mayor Bill Haslam said, "Today Knoxville suffered a tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families and the church community," Mayor Bill Haslam said in a statement.
A special meeting has been called at 6 p.m. Westside Unitarian Universalist Church, 616 Fretz Road in Farragut, to update members of the church on the events and "help us deal with this tragedy," according to a church e-mail.
In an e-mail Bohstedt stated. "As far as we know, this has nothing to do with the church. the production, personal conflicts or anything else. Please, let's not speculate." He asked, "Let us all pray for the victims, including the children that were traumatized by this terrible event. Church leaders did a fine job of helping people come together. Blessings on us all- a very tragic day for our blessed community."
