Knoxville Makes National News
July 27th, 2008 at 9:56 pm by Preston Taylor HolmesAnd not in a good way.
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 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.
Michele tipped me off to the story earlier this morning, but I’m only now catching up with the entire thing.
From news reports, it sounds like this insane bastard Jim Adkisson had a chip on his shoulder about Christianity and picked a church at which to express his rage.
He is being held on $1 million bond.
“He had his own sense of belief about religion, that’s the impression I got of him,” said neighbor Karen Massey. “We were talking one day when my daughter graduated from Bible college, and I told him I was a Christian, then he almost turned angry.
“He seemed to get angry at that.”
According to Massey, Adkisson talked frequently about his parents who “made him go to church all his life … he was forced to do that.”
While some area blogs immediately tried to frame this as some kind of anti-gay hate crime, there is no evidence to back that up, especially given the comments from Adkisson’s neighbors. In fact, one has to wonder if the unbalanced psychopath just picked a church at random, or picked a church where he knew the odds of resistance would be low. If he’d picked Uncle’s church, he would likely be decomposing instead of being fed at the Knox County Jail by area taxpayers.
All we know at this point is that there were a lot of heroes at that Church this morning – foremost Greg McKendry, who took the first shot when he put himself between the gunman and the rest of the congregation – and the rest of the people who tackled the scumbag while he tried to reload. This same course of action would have saved lives at Virginia Tech last year.
Keep these folks and especially the kids who had to witness this in your prayers.
Now, in the world of Six Meat justice, this shooter would be chained to a tree in the woods, then have his legs shot up with his own shotgun. Then, before he had time to bleed to death, he would be consumed by a mix of fire ants and intentionally starved dogs, for good measure. Instead, we’ll have years of hearing his sob stories and delayed proceedings and trial lawyer bilge explaining his actions away. It’s the new American way.
On a semi-un-related note, this has provided some societal misfits with another opportunity to lash out (again) at the gun nuts. Good for you, anti-soldier.
UPDATE: Looks like these guys may have been right after all.
Apparently this guy hated gays and liberals as much as he hated Christianity. Who knew one person had so much time to hate? Then again, he is unemployed, so he did have too much time on his hands.
Jim D. Adkisson, 58, has been charged with first-degree murder in the Sunday shooting at a Knoxville, Tenn., Unitarian church that left two people dead and five injured.
Michele has an interesting take on hate crimes and the like – read the whole thing.
July 28th, 2008 at 1:00 am
Just knew you all would have something to say about this tragic event. And yes, prayers for all involved, especially the children.
The links you provied for anti-soldier and anti-pussy licking is what made me respond!
I remember both these pussies from high school, as I am sure most of you do.
anti is the guy who had his jock strap thrown around the science lab…..yeah we all remember him, only his mother would fuck him, kind of guy.
The social misfit, his only excuse…..Not wiping his ass after I take a shit.
July 28th, 2008 at 2:30 am
Report: 1 dead, 5 critical in Tenn. church shooting…
A suspected gunman has opened fire during a church service in Knoxville, Tennessee, and several peop…
July 28th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
My first thought was he’s an anonymous, right wing blogger.
Any of your regular posters missing, lately?
July 28th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
Last time I saw a mug like that it was yelling down a well and demanding their victim to rub the lotion on it’s skin.
Creepy.
July 28th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
Hey Sharon, how is that rescuing Darfur thing going? Oh yeah, you didn’t quite get that done, did you?
Why don’t you go back to your hole, you sack of crap?
July 28th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
My first thought was he’s an anonymous, right wing blogger.
Yes, yes. It’s a lot more exciting to frame it as some right wing nut who reads Sean Hannity and hates gay people than to call it for the domestic shooting it seems to be.
Adkisson’s ex-wife, Liza Alexander of Powell, was a former long-time member of the church,
An order of protection filed by Liza Alexander when she was married to Jim David Adkisson
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/jul/28/woman-accused-shooter-hated-anyone-different-him/
July 29th, 2008 at 11:46 am
Only a coward would try to make the cops take his miserable life from him because he didn’t have the balls to do it for himself.
Hey, Imalib…..
Conservatives didn’t commit murder, Adkisson did, all by himself. Sean Hannity didn’t hand him that shotgun. Rush Limbaugh didn’t load it for him. Savage didn’t pull the trigger. Boortz wasn’t saying “pull the trigger pull the trigger!” Adkisson did it all by himself and only Adkisson is responsible for those people’s deaths.
Lunatics are lunatics no matter what mantle the press paints them in, Adkisson is a flaming mental case.
Would his crime be any less heinous had he gone in and killed them because they were conservatives?
July 29th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
Last I checked, the Unabomber killed more people than Adkisson and from what I can tell he was the uncredited co-writer of Al Gore’s “Earth In The Balance”.
Don’t mind “Imalib”, moe. It’s only a matter of time before one of her fellow lefties assassinates Obama just to prove that he will rise from the dead three days later.
July 29th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
“Would his crime be any less heinous had he gone in and killed them because they were conservatives?”
Um, well yes. That would be what these people would call an extenuating circumstance.
August 6th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
“He thought liberals were weak on terror.
He had a rude surprise.”