"Man criticized Christian group before allegedly shooting their security guard" by ERIC TUCKER and PETE Yost |
Associated Press, August 16, 2012
WASHINGTON — A man suspected of shooting and wounding a security
guard at the headquarters of a Christian lobbying group on Wednesday
made a negative reference about the organization’s work before opening
fire, a law enforcement official said.
Police said the man entered the front lobby of the Family Research
Council in Washington around 10:45 a.m. Wednesday, began arguing with a
security guard, and then shot him in the arm. The gunman was subdued by
the guard and others and taken into custody but had not been charged as
of Wednesday evening.
Another law enforcement official identified the suspect as Floyd
Corkins II, and authorities were interviewing Corkins’s neighbors in
Herndon, Va., near Washington. Both officials spoke on the condition of
anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss an ongoing
investigation.
Corkins, 28, had been volunteering recently at a community center for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.
The Family Research Council strongly opposes gay marriage and
abortion and says it advocates ‘‘faith, family, and freedom in public
policy and public opinion.’’
Corkins made a negative comment about the organization before the
shooting, but the reference was not specific, one of the law enforcement
officials said.
The guard, Leo Johnson, was in stable condition and was being interviewed.
Corkins had been volunteering for about the past 6 months at The DC
Center for the LGBT Community, said David Mariner, executive director of
the community center, which is in Northwest Washington. He usually
staffed the center’s front desk on Saturdays.
Though authorities did not publicly reveal a motive, advocacy groups
across the ideological spectrum condemned the violence, with some
casting it as a hate crime.
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"D.C. shooter had Chick-fil-A products in backpack; Said he disagrees with group’s view" by Eric Tucker and Ben Nuckols |
Associated Press, August 17, 2012
WASHINGTON — A man who volunteered at a gay community center had a
backpack full of Chick-fil-A sandwiches and a box of ammunition when he
said, ‘‘I don’t like your politics’’ and shot a security guard at the
headquarters of a conservative lobbying group, authorities revealed
Thursday.
Floyd Lee Corkins II was ordered held without bond on charges that he
opened fire Wednesday in the lobby of the Family Research Council, an
influential conservative Christian group that has supported the
president of the fast-food chain in his staunch opposition to same-sex
marriage.
Though the shooting was swiftly condemned by groups across the
ideological spectrum, it tapped into deep divisions over cultural issues
like gay marriage and drew finger-pointing about whether inflamed
rhetoric on either side was to blame.
Family Research Council president Tony Perkins said reckless rhetoric
from organizations that disagree with his group’s opposition to
abortion and same-sex marriage was to blame for the shooting.
The Southern Poverty Law Center, an Alabama-based civil rights
organization that tracks hate groups, labeled the Family Research
Council as a hate group in 2010 for what it called the group’s antigay
stance.
Corkins, 28, entered the lobby of the downtown Washington building on
Wednesday morning, carrying a backpack with a box of ammunition and 15
Chick-fil-A sandwiches, authorities said. It wasn’t clear what he
planned to do with the sandwiches.
The guard was shot in the arm but was able to help wrestle the gun away and restrain the shooter, police said.
Corkins, who lives with his parents in Herndon, Va., was charged with
assault with intent to kill and bringing firearms across state lines.
He was ordered held pending a hearing next week. He told the judge he
had only $300 in his account and was appointed a public defender. He was
otherwise silent during the hearing and stared ahead impassively....
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