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On Thursday evening, 70-year-old gunman Robert Findlay Smith attacked members of an Alabama Church at a potluck dinner. Findlay fired on 3 Church members, 2 of whom died at the scene, while the third later succumbed to her injuries. However, Smith was then subdued by church member Jim Musgrove, who is being hailed as a hero by the community.
The Associated Press reported that the shooting occurred at St. Stephens Episcopal Church, situated in the affluent suburb of Birmingham in Vestavia Hills, Alabama.
Police have revealed the names of 2 of the victims who died in the Alabama Church shooting. They were 84-year-old Walter Bartlett Rainey, who died during the shooting, and 57-year-old Sarah Yeager, who succumbed to her wounds in the hospital. The name of the third female victim, who also died of her injuries after the incident, has not been released by the family.
The suspect, Robert Findlay Smith, is currently under custody. He was charged on Friday with capital murder.
What happened in the Alabama Church shooting?
According to a former longtime pastor of St. Stephens Church, Rev. Doug Carpenter, Robert Findlay Smith was a known community member who had attended several services in the past.
Rev. Carpenter said:
“Why would a guy who’s been around for a while suddenly decide he would go for supper and kill somebody? It doesn’t make sense.”
The shooting occurred during an event known as the “Boomers Potluck,” where elderly Church members have a monthly dinner. Rev. Carpenter told The Associated Press that while they recognized Robert Findlay Smith, he was generally reticent.
Rev. Carpenter said:
“People tried to speak to him and he was kind of distant and very much a loner.”
He added that Smith had been behaving strangely on the day of the shooting.
He said:
“Linda Rainey (one of the Church members) said he didn’t have any food and she offered to fix a plate for him.”
Soon after, Robert Findlay Smith opened fire on churchgoers. Rev. Carpenter told news outlets about the response of Jim Musgrove, who Church members credit with saving numerous lives.
He said:
“(Jim Musgrove) hit him with a folding chair, wrestling him to the ground, took the gun from him and hit him in the head with his own gun.”
Captain Shane Ware, an Alabama officer, celebrated Musgrove’s prompt response in the face of danger.
He said:
“The person that subdued the suspect, in my opinion, was a hero.”
In an official press release, Vestavia Hills Mayor Ashley Curry expressed her shock at the shooting.
She said:
“(This) close-knit, resilient community is shaken by this senseless act of violence.”
The case is under investigation, and police have not yet determined the suspect's motivations. According to People News, Robert Findlay Smith was an Alabama resident and licensed gun owner.
