mass shooting There is a lack of consensus on how to define a mass shooting. Most terms define a minimum of three or four victims of gun violence (not including the shooter or in an inner city) in a short period of time, although an Australian study from 200 ...

occurred on September 24, 2017, when a gunman opened fire at the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in

Antioch, Tennessee Antioch is a neighborhood of Nashville located approximately 12 miles southeast of Downtown Nashville. It is served by the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. History The community known as Antioch began at the converge ...

, part of the

Greater Nashville The Nashville metropolitan area (officially, the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area) is a metropolitan statistical area centered on Nashville, Tennessee, the capital and largest city in Tennessee, in the ...

area, killing one person and injuring six others. The perpetrator was identified as Emanuel Kidega Samson, a 25-year-old native of

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

. Samson was arrested after getting into an altercation with a bystander, and charged with first-degree murder and 43 other charges. The suspect indicated that the attack was an act of revenge for the 2015

Charleston church shooting On June 17, 2015, a mass shooting occurred in Charleston, South Carolina, in which nine African Americans were killed during a Bible study at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. Among those people who were killed was the senior past ...

Shooting

The gunman carried two handguns (leaving behind a .22-caliber Citadel 1911-22 Tactical semi-automatic pistol and a .223-caliber DPMS A-15 semi-automatic rifle in his blue

Nissan Xterra The Nissan Xterra is a truck-based compact SUV manufactured and marketed by Nissan from 1999–2015 across two generations; the first (1999–2004) sharing a platform as well as front bumper, hood, A-pillar, windshield and front doors with the ...

), and after fatally shooting Melanie Crow outside, he entered the church from the rear, according to police. He then walked through the church, shooting six more people. At this point, according to police, the gunman was confronted by an usher, 22-year-old Robert Engle, whom he

pistol-whip Pistol-whipping or buffaloing is the act of using a handgun as a blunt weapon, wielding it as an improvised club. Such a practice dates to the time of muzzle loaders, which were brandished in such fashion in close-quarters combat once the wea ...

ped. During the ensuing struggle, Samson accidentally shot himself in the chest. Engle ran to his car to get his own gun (a Ruger SR45) and pointed it at the wounded Samson until police arrived to arrest him. Engle was called a "hero" by police. Around 50 parishioners were in the church at the time of the shooting, which was reported at 11:15 a.m. local time as church services were ending.

Victims

The deceased woman was identified as 38-year-old Melanie Crow. She was first shot in the face, then in the back when she attempted to flee the gunman. Six other people aged between 60 and 83 were injured by gunfire; their injuries were non-life-threatening.

Perpetrator

The gunman, Emanuel Kidega Samson, was a 25-year-old

ese native residing legally in the United States, having arrived as a child in 1996. He was allegedly carrying two handguns, a 9mm and a .40-caliber, and was wearing a ski mask at the time of the attack. Samson had been licensed to work as an unarmed security guard from 2014 to 2016, although his license was expired and he had been seeking its reinstatement. Samson is a former member of the Burnette Chapel Church. A review of Samson's

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

page by the

Southern Poverty Law Center The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, it is known for its legal cases against white su ...

(SPLC) found sympathies and interests to black supremacist figures and groups like the

New Black Panther Party The New Black Panther Party (NBPP) is an American black nationalist organization founded in Dallas, Texas, in 1989. Despite its name, the NBPP is not an official successor to the Black Panther Party.

and the

Nation of Islam The Nation of Islam (NOI) is a religious and political organization founded in the United States by Wallace Fard Muhammad in 1930. A black nationalist organization, the NOI focuses its attention on the African diaspora, especially on African ...

, as well as an affinity for

conspiracy theories A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy by sinister and powerful groups, often political in motivation, when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * * * * The term has a nega ...

. In the days leading up to the shooting, he posted "several cryptic messages" on his Facebook page. Samson had two domestic disputes with his girlfriend in

Murfreesboro Murfreesboro is a city in and county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 152,769 according to the 2020 census, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010. Murfreesboro is located in the Nashville metropol ...

in January and February earlier that year, but was not arrested. Three months earlier, he reportedly told his father that he was about to commit suicide, which prompted a police response. Samson was charged with first-degree murder immediately subsequent to the shooting. In a police interview, Samson suggested he was hearing voices and had a vision of the Burnette Chapel Church. A psychiatrist testified in April 2019 that Samson had schizoaffective disorder bipolar type. Samson was scheduled to appear in Davidson County General Sessions court on September 27, and is being held at a county jail without bond. He allegedly had additional weapons in his vehicle, as well as a note that referenced the

of 2015, in which a

white supremacist White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other Race (human classification), races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any Power (social and polit ...

murdered nine African Americans. The prosecution later claimed that Samson hoped to "kill at least 10 white people" in the shooting as revenge for the Charleston church shooting. On October 6, it was reported that a preliminary hearing had been set for October 23, 2017.

Aftermath and reactions

Nashville Mayor

Megan Barry Megan Christine Barry (née Mueller; born September 22, 1963) is an American businesswoman and politician who served as the seventh mayor of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County from 2015 until March 6, 2018, when she resi ...

said, "This is a terrible tragedy for our city. My heart aches for the family and friends of the deceased as well as for the wounded victims and their loved ones." Tennessee Governor

Bill Haslam William Edward Haslam (; born August 23, 1958) is an American billionaire businessman and politician who served as the 49th governor of Tennessee from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, Haslam previously served as the 67th mayor of ...

said he was "praying for the victims and committed to supporting the Antioch community in the aftermath of this tragedy." The

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

and the

U.S. Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...

have both launched

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

investigations.

Trial

Samson was indicted on 43 charges, including first-degree murder, aggravated assault, and civil rights intimidation. His trial began on May 20, 2019. Prosecutors argued that Samson arrived at the church with the intention of killing 10 white churchgoers as retaliation for the 2015 Charleston Church shooting, in which 9 African-American churchgoers were killed by a

. Samson's defense argued that Samson's actions were not premeditated, and were instead spontaneous and intended to effectuate his suicide. Jurors deliberated for less than five hours before delivering the verdict against Emanuel Kidega Samson, and on May 24, 2019, the jury found him guilty of all 43 counts in the indictment, including first-degree murder and attempted murder. Samson was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Emanuel Kidega Samson is currently incarcerated in the

Riverbend Maximum Security Institution The Riverbend Maximum Security Institution (RMSI) is a prison in Nashville, Tennessee, operated by the Tennessee Department of Correction. The prison opened in 1989 and replaced its 100-year-old neighbor, the Tennessee State Penitentiary. RMSI, wh ...

References