Gunman, victims identified in Tennessee church shooting

(WAFF) - One person was killed and six others wounded in a shooting Sunday morning at the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch, Tenn., which is 20 miles south of Nashville.

The shooting occurred as church service was letting out around 11:15 a.m. One woman was shot and killed in the parking lot as she exited the building.

Police said the gunman, who was wearing a ski mask, entered the church through the back door. He fired multiple rounds inside the church and six people, including the gunman, were shot.

The shooter has been identified as Emanuel Kidega Sampson, 25, of Murfreesboro.

According to police, one church member confronted Sampson and was pistol-whipped. The church member, who has been identified as 22-year-old Robert Engle, then went to his car and retrieved his gun, for which he has a permit.

When Engle returned to the church, he confronted the Sampson. During the confrontation, the pair struggled and Sampson accidentally shot himself.

Engle, an usher at the church, is being hailed as a hero for his actions. Police said there were more than 30 people in the sanctuary at the time of the shooting.

Three women and two men were taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center:

• William Jenkins, 83, stable condition
• Marlene Jenkins, 84, stable condition
• David Spann, 60, critical condition
• Peggy Spann, 65, stable condition
• Linda Bush, 68, stable condition

Sampson was also taken to Vanderbilt with non-life threatening injuries. He has already been released and taken into police custody.

Two other victims were transported to Skyline Medical Center:

• Katherine Dickerson, 64, stable condition
• Robert Engle, 22, serious but stable condition

Sen. Bob Corker issued a statement via Twitter that stated "We are closely monitoring reports of a church shooting in Antioch. As we await more details, please join me in praying for the victims."

Burnette Chapel Church of Christ is located on Pin Hook Rd. in the Antioch area.

List of recent church shootings

• July 2006 - Naveed Haq broke into the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle and shot six people. There was one fatality He was sentenced to life in prison in 2010.
• August 2007 - In Neosho, Missouri, Eiken Elam Saimon shot up the First Congregational Church, killing three people. He was sentenced to life in prison.
• December 2007 - Matthew J. Murray opened fire in a Youth With A Mission training center in Arvada, Colorado. Then he went to the New Life Church in Colorado Springs and shot up a congregation. There were 4 fatalities in all, not including Murray who committed suicide soon after.
• July 2008 - Jim David Adkisson pulled out a shotgun at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church. There were two deaths and seven injuries. He cited the church's "liberal teachings" as his reason for the shooting. Adkisson was sentenced to life in prison in 2009.
• August 2012 - Three people were murdered at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin outside Milwaukee when Wade Michael Page opened fire. The shooter committed suicide after reportedly injuring a police officer.
• June 2015 - Nine people were killed and three were injured when Dylann Roof targeted members of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Roof was convicted in 2016 of 33 federal hate crime and murder charges.

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