1 dead, 7 hurt as gunman opens fire at Nashville church

Associated Press

NASHVILLE, TENN.

A masked gunman invaded a Nashville church Sunday and opened fire, walking silently down the aisle as he shot unsuspecting congregants. At least one person was killed and seven others wounded, authorities said.

An usher, Robert Engle, 22, confronted the shooter, who apparently pistol-whipped Engle and then shot himself in the struggle before he was arrested, police said.

No motive was immediately determined. Church members told investigators that the suspect had attended services a year or two ago, said Don Aaron, a spokesman for the Metro Nashville Police Department.

The gunman pulled into the parking lot at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ as services were ending. He fatally shot 39-year-old Melanie Smith of Smyrna, who was walking to her vehicle, then entered the rear of the church with two pistols and kept firing, hitting six people, Aaron said.

Aaron identified two of those shot as 60-year-old David Spann and his 65-year-old wife, Peggy. Aaron said David Spann was in critical but stable condition, while Peggy Spann was stable. Aaron said he didn’t know whether David Spann was the church’s pastor, but media outlets reported that Spann is the pastor.

Authorities identified the attacker as Emanuel Kidega Samson, 25, of Murfreesboro, who came to the U.S. from Sudan in 1996 and was a legal U.S. resident.

The gunman was discharged hours later from Vanderbilt University Hospital but remained in police custody.

The Metropolitan Nashville police tweeted Sunday night that Samson will be charged with one count of murder and that multiple “additional charges will be placed later.”