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Gunman opens fire in Tennessee church, 7 injured
2008-07-27
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - A gunman entered a church during Sunday services and opened fire, sending seven people to the hospital, officials said. No one was reported killed, but a church member who arrived moments after the shooting said some victims had head injuries. A hospital would not release their conditions. Police said the gunman was in custody, according to Knoxville television stations WBIR-TV and WATE-TV. The gunman entered the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church and fired three times with a shotgun, said church member Steve Drevick. He was called to the church immediately after the shooting to help out and later gave a statement to reporters. Several people had head wounds, he said. Drevick had spoken to several eyewitnesses and said no one at the church recognized the gunman, who was tackled after he fired the shots, Drevick said. The gunman had more ammunition on him, Drevick said. There were about 200 people in the church at the time of the shooting watching a youth performance being put on by 25 children. Police had cordoned off the church with yellow and red tape, and were taking statements and collecting video cameras from church members who'd been taping the performance. Police at the church would not immediately release any information and did not return phone calls from The Associated Press. The seven patients were "in various stages of treatment," said Becky Thompson, spokeswoman for the University of Tennessee Medical Center. A woman from a nearby Presbyterian church brought flowers to the scene. Carrie Niceley, 19, said an announcement about the shooting was made while she was attending her church Sunday.
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