Colorado Church Killings

It rings of Columbine.  Deadly violence has rocked the Rocky Mountain Region once again.  Within twelve hours two separate shootings took place on the grounds of a Mega-church and a missionary training facility in Colorado.

Shortly after midnight on Dec. 9, in Arvada, a suburb located Northwest of Denver, a man asked to spend the night in the Faith Bible Chapel dormitory on the campus of Youth With A Mission (YWAM). When the request was refused, Peter Warren, the Director of YWAM Denver says the lone gunman opened fire with an automatic hand gun, leaving 2 staffers dead and 2 seriously injured. 

According to the official press release, 26-year-old Tiffany Johnson of Minnesota, and Phillip Crouse, 24 from Alaska are deceased.  Dan Griebenow, 24, is listed in critical but stable condition with a bullet lodged in his neck.  Charlie Blanch, 22, has gunshot wounds in his legs.

A reported 17 year old suspect is now being questioned in connection with the shootings at both locations.

At approximately 1:00 p.m., as parishioners mingled in the parking lot after Sunday morning service, another gunman opened fire in the parking lot of New Life Church in Colorado Springs, located an hour South of Denver.  A female church security guard shot and killed the gunman at the church entrance.  Two of the victims died, while 3 others are hospitalized with wounds.  Police were on the scene within minutes surrounding the building and not allowing anyone to leave.

Smoke-generating devises, initially feared to be explosives, were found in the vehicle in the parking lot. Colorado Springs Police Chief Richard Meyers did not identify the suspect.

New Life Church is surrounded by major ministry headquarters, only minutes away from the International Bible Society, Compassion International, the World Prayer Center and Focus on the Family. The reason the mega-church was targeted is a mystery. Pastor Brady Boyd, who replaced former New Life Pastor Ted Haggard who was forced to resign after amid a gay sex scandal last Fall.  Boyd said the church has seen difficult times in the past and will continue to be successful but asked for prayers for the families of the deceased and church members who witnessed the killings.

Police are investigating their suspicions that these tragedies are linked. Colorado Springs police got assistance from Arvada in serving a search warrant at a home in suburban Englewood, about 15 miles south of Denver.

 Contributing Source: Mona Austin EurGospel