Pray - After 4 shot at YWAM in Col Springs now 4 shot at Denver Church

CC1 · #1 12-09-2007, 02:00 PM

This morning four young people were shot at the Youth With A Mission center in Colorado Springs, CO. Two died and one is in critical condition. The gunman got away.

Now there is breaking news that 4 people have been shot at a church in Denver. They don't know if it is the same gunmen but the coincidence seems too great to be unrelated.

Please pray for your Christian brothers and sisters in the Denver area today and that this killer will be caught quickly.

Remington · #2 12-09-2007, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CC1

This morning four young people were shot at the Youth With A Mission center in Colorado Springs, CO. Two died and one is in critical condition. The gunman got away.

Now there is breaking news that 4 people have been shot at a church in Denver. They don't know if it is the same gunmen but the coincidence seems too great to be unrelated.

Please pray for your Christian brothers and sisters in the Denver area today and that this killer will be caught quickly.

Actually the YWAM is in Denver and that was last night.

The shooting in Colorado Springs just happened and from the latest local report it sounds like the gunman is inside the church.

seguidordejesus · #3 12-09-2007, 02:22 PM

The second poster has an interesting name given the topic.

Jekyll · #4 12-09-2007, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seguidordejesus

The second poster has an interesting name given the topic.

I recall that he is from CS, CO from FCF?

crazyjoe · #5 12-09-2007, 03:51 PM

....the church in Colorado Springs is New Life Church....founded by Rev. Ted Haggard...pray for this congregation....they have had a tough year and now this....police have not confirmed if the shooting in Arvada and Colorado Springs is related at this time...

Thad · #6 12-09-2007, 04:23 PM

Yep,

I just read that- 4 people shot at the church Ted haggard use to pastor.

pelathais · #7 12-09-2007, 05:36 PM

The YWAM center is in suburban Denver and is overseen by a church there. Ironically, I just had breakfast Saturday morn with a founding member of that church. Details are still sketchy- it's frustrating.

I just heard that the shooting in Colorado Springs at Haggard's former church was in the parking lot. There was one report that it was the same shooter as in Arvada last night, but now they seem to be backing away from that.

COLORADO SPRINGS – Authorities say four people, including a gunman, were shot on Sunday in the second shooting of the day at a Colorado religious center.

The gunfire erupted at the 10,000-plus member mega-church, New Life Church, just after 1 p.m., according to authorities.

KOAA says the gunman opened fire at the New Life Church, located at 11025 Voyager Parkway in Colorado Springs, as the 12 p.m. service was getting out. Authorities say the shooting occurred outside of the church.

A 9NEWS source has confirmed the gunman was shot and killed by a security guard. Authorities also found an improvised explosive device.

Authorities have not confirmed that the suspect is dead. They say they have one person in custody. Police are not releasing any information about what kind of weapon was used in the attack or the suspect's status. 9NEWS has learned the gunman was dressed with a tactical helmet and body armor.

About 100 people were still inside the church as of two hours after the shooting. Authorities are keeping them there until they can sort everything out.

Police say El Paso County SWAT and Colorado Springs SWAT are searching the area to see whether there may be any other suspects.

Businesses in the area, including Lockheed Martin, have been put on lockdown.

New Life Church was founded by Ted Haggard. Haggard was forced out after admitting in November 2006 to sexual immorality and purchasing methamphetamines from a gay escort.

Reverend Brady Boyd took over as pastor in August 2007.

Earlier on Sunday, two people were killed and two others were injured in a shooting at Youth with a Mission (YWAM) in Arvada when a lone gunman opened fire and then fled the scene. He has not been apprehended. To learn more about this shooting, click here.

Dale Lambert, the assistant director to YWAM says there is no direct link between the YWAM program in Arvada to New Life Church. However, the YWAM in Colorado Springs does work with New Life Church.

Gov. Bill Ritter issued the following statement on the shootings:
"Today, Colorado mourns the tragic loss of those killed and injured in two senseless shootings. Our deepest sympathies go out to the families of those who were taken from us, and we pray for the speedy recovery of those who were wounded. Violent crimes of any sort are tragic enough, but when innocent people are killed in a religious facility or a place of worship, we must voice a collective sense of outrage and demonstrate a renewed commitment to keeping our communities safe. We have activated the Colorado Information Analysis Center, and I have directed the Department of Public Safety, Colorado State Patrol and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to provide immediate assistance to the local and federal agencies investigating the shootings."

U.S. Senator Ken Salazar also issued a statement about the shootings.

"My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families at this tragic time. It is incomprehensible that such atrocities could occur in places of faith and worship. It is my hope that the assailants are caught and swiftly brought to justice," he said.

CC1 · #8 12-09-2007, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Remington

Actually the YWAM is in Denver and that was last night.

The shooting in Colorado Springs just happened and from the latest local report it sounds like the gunman is inside the church.

Technically the YWAM shootings happened this morning as it was 12:30 am so that is probably why the report I heard said early this morning.

Thank heavens that church had beefed up security after the YWAM shooting and an armed security guard killed the shooter before he killed more people than he did.

I hope larger churches have armed off duty cops or security guards on Campus around church time and smaller churches should have ushers with carry permits in the states that permit that.

Cindy · #9 12-10-2007, 08:49 AM

Bryan Oller, Colorado Springs Gazette / MCT

Five people, including a gunman, died in the attacks Sunday at a megachurch in Colorado Springs and at the Youth With a Mission missionary center in the Denver suburb of Arvada. Five others were wounded.

"Violent crimes of any sort are tragic enough, but when innocent people are killed in a religious facility or a place of worship, we must voice a collective sense of outrage and demonstrate a renewed commitment to keeping our communities safe," said Gov. Bill Ritter.

Police in Arvada said they believed the shootings - which occurred 12 hours and about 65 miles apart - were probably linked, though they had nothing conclusive to back up the theory.

"Given the circumstances, I think it is a good possibility that the two are linked," Arvada Deputy Police Chief Gary Creagor told The Associated Press early Monday. "But we have to prove that they are."

At a news conference Sunday, Police Chief Don Wick said that there was "reason to believe" the shootings were connected, though he declined to elaborate.

Early Monday, authorities were searching a home in suburban Englewood, about 15 miles south of Denver, that they said could be related to the Colorado Springs shooting case. Authorities could be seen coming and going from the home, and at one point searching the bushes in front.

The violence began about 12:30 a.m. Sunday, when a man opened fire at the Youth With a Mission office after he had been denied a request to spend the night there. Witnesses told police that the gunman was a 20-year-old white male, wearing a dark jacket and skull cap, who had a handgun.

More than 12 hours later, at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, a gunman with a high-powered rifle entered the church's main foyer and opened fire, Colorado Springs Police Chief Richard Myers said.

One church member was killed, and another who was badly wounded died later Sunday at Penrose Community Hospital in Colorado Springs, said hospital spokeswoman Amy Sufak. Their identities were not released.

The gunman was killed by a member of the church's armed security staff before police arrived, Myers said. Officers also found several smoke-generating devices on the church campus; their intended purpose wasn't clear.

About 7,000 people were on the church campus at the time of the shooting, said Senior Pastor Brady Boyd said. Security had been beefed up after the shootings hours earlier in Arvada, he said.

New Life, with about 10,000 members, was founded by the Rev. Ted Haggard, who was dismissed last year after a former male prostitute alleged he had a three-year cash-for-sex relationship with him. Haggard, then the president of the National Association of Evangelicals, admitted committing undisclosed "sexual immorality."

The two dead victims at the missionary center were identified as Tiffany Johnson, 26, and Philip Crouse, 24.

Johnson, who grew up in Chisholm, Minn., loved working with children and wanted to see the world, said family friend Carla Macynski.

"Tiffany was a well-liked, easygoing 26-year-old. She was friendly, adventurous and a definite leader. She wanted to see the world," Macynski said as she choked back tears. Johnson had traveled to Egypt, Libya and South Africa with the missionary group.

Crouse, of Alaska, had helped build a foster home at a Crow reservation in Montana, said Ronny Morris, who works with a Denver chapter of the mission.

Staffer Dan Griebenow, 24, of South Dakota, was shot in the neck, according to Youth With a Mission. Staffer Charlie Blanch, 22, suffered gunshot wounds to his legs, according to ministry officials. His hometown wasn't immediately known.

The missionary center is on the grounds of the Faith Bible Chapel. Cheril Morrison, wife of chapel pastor George Morrison, said Crouse had just hung up Christmas lights at her home and that Johnson was "an amazingly beautiful person."

Mimi Martin, who lives near the center, said she received a warning call at about 9 a.m. telling neighbors to keep their doors and windows locked.

"Why would anybody want to hurt those kids?" Martin said.

Darv Smith, director of a Youth With a Mission center in Boulder, said people ranging from their late teens to their 70s undergo a 12-week course that prepares them to be missionaries. He said the center trains about 300 people a year.

Paul Filidis, a Colorado Springs-based spokesman with Youth With a Mission, said staffers are usually former missionaries themselves and that the "mercy ministries" performed by trainees include orphanage work.

Youth With a Mission was started in 1960 and now has 1,100 locations with 16,000 full-time staff, Smith said. The Arvada center was founded in 1984.

The Colorado shootings came only days after a 19-year-old gunman opened fire at a popular mall in Omaha, Neb., killing eight people and himself.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2007-12-09 10:01:26

Carpenter · #10 12-10-2007, 11:24 AM

YWAM is a wonderful organization. I was in the exact building in Arvada where the shootings took place when a friend of mine graduated from the program. It is a tremendous organization and the kids involved are so driven!

I wonder why the UPC wouldn't be willing to combine their anemic (the name escapes me) program that is similar to YWAM, with the interfaith YWAM program that has more resources and is better organized.........On second thought, I need to stop wondering about stuff I already know the answer to.

What I thought was pretty cool (relatively speaking) was that the gunman in CO Springs was shot by a female security guard. Imagine that, an armed security guard at a church!

I am surprised this sort of thing hasn't happened with more frequency to be honest...