Two Colorado Shootings: A Shooter Is Identified genre: Gaylingual & Hip-Gnosis
UPDATE: 12/10/07 @ 2:50 PM
It now appears that Matthew Murray, identified as the shooter at the New Life Church had previously worked or volunteered at Youth With A Mission, the site of the first shooting. Also, the two teenage girls killed in Colorado Springs were apparently involved with YWAM, although nothing has been released suggesting Murray actually knew the victims.
It is also being reported that Murray had enrolled in a class at Colorado Christian University last year...though the source indicated that Murray never complete the course.
MSNBC has also just reported that a source told the news outlet that Murray "hated" Christians and may have sent threatening messages. I find this piece of information puzzling in light of the homeschooling and the fact that other reports suggest that the family was "really religious". I suspect that if Murray indeed "hated" Christians, it was a recent development and may have been connected to his alleged falling out with YWAM.
The news conference has been moved back to 4:00 PM MST.
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UPDATE: 12/10/07 @ 12:37 PM
Authorities in Colorado Springs have identified the shooter in the New Life Church incident in which two teenage sisters were killed. The shooter, Matthew J. Murray was 24 years old and lived with his parents and a younger brother in Englewood, a Denver suburb. The Murray residence was searched last evening as part of the investigation.
Matthew Murray is the son of a local neurologist. Calls to the fathers office were met by a recorded message stating that the office was closed. According to local news sources, the family has lived in the neighborhood for approximately ten years. A check with the area school system did not provide any information as it is believed Murray was homeschooled.
Other information is sketchy but some reports suggest that one of the Murray brothers was a student at a religious school...though the name and/or location of the facility hasn't been reported. It remains to be seen if authorities will conclude that Murray was the shooter in the first incident which took place in Arvada at the Youth With A Mission facility some twelve hours earlier.
A news conference is expected at 3:00 PM MST.
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It is being reported that a second church shooting has occurred in Colorado; this one at the New Life Church in Colorado Springs, the former church of Ted Haggard, the pastor who admitted to sexual immorality related to his alleged sex-for-hire relationship with Mike Jones, a gay male escort in Denver. Local news stations indicate that four people may have been shot though no information on the condition of the victims has been released.
The first shooting took place early this morning at Youth With A Mission in Arvada, a Denver suburb. A total of four were shot in this first incident and two of the victims are reported to have died.
Youth With A Mission is affiliated with Exodus, the ex-gay organization which offers "reparative therapy" to gays...a practice that has been criticized by the gay community and the American Psychological Association (APA) has raised doubts about the practice.
Exodus Youth, a division of Exodus International that helps teens and young adults struggling with unwanted same-sex attraction to find life and healing in Christ, has joined a new coalition of evangelical ministries to call students to pray for their peers. Over 20 ministries across America, including notable youth organizations such as Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Teen Mania Ministries and Youth With A Mission, are uniting to spread a counter-cultural message of truth regarding the challenges facing America's youth today.
In addition, this newly formed network of ministries is urging students, ministry leaders and youth workers to pray and fast for a spiritual awakening among America's youth on the first Friday of every month beginning June 1, 2007.
Reports earlier this morning indicated that the suspect was a male in his 20's who was apparently unknown to members of the organization, though he may have attended an event at the center last evening.
There is speculation that the second shooting may have been carried out by the same gunman. Early indications suggest that the gunman has been shot but details remain sketchy. Some local news outlets have raised the possibility that the gunman took his own life following the shooting.
UPDATE:
At least four people were shot outside New Life Church on Sunday, but it was not immediately clear if any of them died, El Paso County Sheriff's Lt. Lari Sevene said. Police have confirmed that the shooter was killed, though they are not saying whether he was shot by police or died of a self-inflicted gunshot.
Despite the above update, there appears to be conflicting information on the status of the shooter in the Colorado Springs incident. Some news outlets are reporting that the shooter is in custody...though they have declined to say if the suspect has been shot.
Following so closely on the heels of the Omaha mall shootings, this is another in a troubling string of similar attacks on unsuspecting and innocent individuals. One has to wonder what allows any individual to devalue life to such a degree. I find it unfathomable.
I'll provide further updates as they become available.
Tagged as: American Psychological Association, APA, Exodus, Matthew Murray, New Life Church, Ted Haggard, Youth With A Mission, YWAM
Daniel DiRito | December 9, 2007 | 2:46 PM
Comments
1 On December 11, 2007 at 7:00 PM, rube cretin wrote —
i am currently reading the cites from your article linked to Bring It On, but came here to get closer to the source. i believe you are on to a really important story. Kieth Olberman just mentioned the shootings on his program and selected Tony Perkins as the worst person in the world because of his connection. i am particularly interested in the National Policy Groups connection to these incident and look forward to your insights. Great work.
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