Dec 30, 2019 06:14 PM
(This post was last modified: Dec 30, 2019 06:17 PM by C C.)
Armed congregants kill gunman who shot 2 at Texas church
https://apnews.com/de8a2aebc6d95b9131a08975a5d881f9
EXCERPT: . . . A gunman who killed two people during a Texas church service was fatally shot within seconds by armed congregants, said state officials, who hailed the state’s gun laws that allow weapons in places of worship. More than 240 people were in the West Freeway Church of Christ in the Fort Worth-area town of White Settlement during Sunday’s shooting, authorities said.
Isabel Arreola told the Star-Telegram that she sat near the gunman and that she’d never seen him before Sunday’s service. She said he appeared to be wearing a disguise, perhaps a fake beard, and that he made her uncomfortable. She said the man stood up, pulled a shotgun from his clothing, opened fire and was quickly shot by two congregants who were part of a volunteer security team. “I was so surprised because I did not know that so many in the church were armed,” she said.
[...] At a news conference Sunday night, Texas Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said the gunman was killed within six seconds of opening fire. Patrick hailed the state’s gun laws, including a measure enacted this year that affirmed the right of licensed handgun holders to carry a weapon in places of worship, unless the facility bans them.
That law was passed in the aftermath of the deadliest mass shooting in Texas history, which was also at a church. In the 2017 massacre at First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, a man who opened fire on a Sunday morning congregation killed more than two dozen people. He later killed himself.
Patrick said the two congregants who drew their weapons saved “untold number of lives.” Britt Farmer, senior minister of the church, said, “We lost two great men today, but it could have been a lot worse.” (MORE - details)
Monsey stabbing: NYC mayor vows action on anti-Semitism 'crisis'
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50938507
EXCERPT: New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced a series of measures to tackle a "crisis" of anti-Semitic attacks, following a mass stabbing. Mr de Blasio said security would be stepped up in Jewish areas and schools would teach students to tackle hate. At least five people were injured in the knife attack at a rabbi's house in New York state on Saturday. Witnesses said the attacker burst into the house in Monsey, north of New York City, which was hosting a Hanukkah celebration, pulled out a large knife and began stabbing people.
The suspected knifeman, named by police as Grafton Thomas, 37, of Greenwood Lake, New York, has been charged with attempted murder. He pleaded not guilty, and is being held in jail with his bail set at $5m (£3.8m). On Sunday night, his lawyer Michael Sussman issued a statement on behalf of his family which said Mr Thomas "has a long history of mental illness and hospitalisations". "He has no history of like violent acts and no convictions for any crime," it said. "He has no known history of anti-Semitism and was raised in a home which embraced and respected all religions and races. He is not a member of any hate groups."
Just a day before the attack, Mr de Blasio had announced extra police patrols in three areas of Brooklyn with large Jewish populations following a spate of anti-Semitic incidents. "The spirit we bring today is one of resolve and relentlessness. We will keep adding as many measures as it takes to end this crisis," he told reporters on Sunday.
[...] Mr de Blasio said changes would be made to the curriculum at schools in Brooklyn starting from next month. He said they would focus on "stopping hate... on building mutual respect, to help young people understand what hate crimes really mean and the dangers they pose to all of us".
[...] In Israel, President Reuven Rivlin expressed his "shock and outrage" at the attack. Steve Gold from the Jewish Federation in Rockland County said the US had failed the Jewish community. ... On Friday New York city police's hate crimes unit said it was investigating eight anti-Semitic incidents reported since 13 December.
They included a threat by a man who walked into an Orthodox Jewish community organisation's headquarters in Brooklyn and threatened to shoot someone. In another incident a 30-year-old woman reportedly slapped three women in the face. New York Police Department commissioner Dermot Shea has said hate crimes in New York City are up 22% this year. ... In April a gunman killed a female rabbi and wounded three people at a synagogue in San Diego. That attack came exactly six months after the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in US history, when a gunman killed 11 worshippers at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. (MORE - details)
https://apnews.com/de8a2aebc6d95b9131a08975a5d881f9
EXCERPT: . . . A gunman who killed two people during a Texas church service was fatally shot within seconds by armed congregants, said state officials, who hailed the state’s gun laws that allow weapons in places of worship. More than 240 people were in the West Freeway Church of Christ in the Fort Worth-area town of White Settlement during Sunday’s shooting, authorities said.
Isabel Arreola told the Star-Telegram that she sat near the gunman and that she’d never seen him before Sunday’s service. She said he appeared to be wearing a disguise, perhaps a fake beard, and that he made her uncomfortable. She said the man stood up, pulled a shotgun from his clothing, opened fire and was quickly shot by two congregants who were part of a volunteer security team. “I was so surprised because I did not know that so many in the church were armed,” she said.
[...] At a news conference Sunday night, Texas Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said the gunman was killed within six seconds of opening fire. Patrick hailed the state’s gun laws, including a measure enacted this year that affirmed the right of licensed handgun holders to carry a weapon in places of worship, unless the facility bans them.
That law was passed in the aftermath of the deadliest mass shooting in Texas history, which was also at a church. In the 2017 massacre at First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, a man who opened fire on a Sunday morning congregation killed more than two dozen people. He later killed himself.
Patrick said the two congregants who drew their weapons saved “untold number of lives.” Britt Farmer, senior minister of the church, said, “We lost two great men today, but it could have been a lot worse.” (MORE - details)
Monsey stabbing: NYC mayor vows action on anti-Semitism 'crisis'
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50938507
EXCERPT: New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced a series of measures to tackle a "crisis" of anti-Semitic attacks, following a mass stabbing. Mr de Blasio said security would be stepped up in Jewish areas and schools would teach students to tackle hate. At least five people were injured in the knife attack at a rabbi's house in New York state on Saturday. Witnesses said the attacker burst into the house in Monsey, north of New York City, which was hosting a Hanukkah celebration, pulled out a large knife and began stabbing people.
The suspected knifeman, named by police as Grafton Thomas, 37, of Greenwood Lake, New York, has been charged with attempted murder. He pleaded not guilty, and is being held in jail with his bail set at $5m (£3.8m). On Sunday night, his lawyer Michael Sussman issued a statement on behalf of his family which said Mr Thomas "has a long history of mental illness and hospitalisations". "He has no history of like violent acts and no convictions for any crime," it said. "He has no known history of anti-Semitism and was raised in a home which embraced and respected all religions and races. He is not a member of any hate groups."
Just a day before the attack, Mr de Blasio had announced extra police patrols in three areas of Brooklyn with large Jewish populations following a spate of anti-Semitic incidents. "The spirit we bring today is one of resolve and relentlessness. We will keep adding as many measures as it takes to end this crisis," he told reporters on Sunday.
[...] Mr de Blasio said changes would be made to the curriculum at schools in Brooklyn starting from next month. He said they would focus on "stopping hate... on building mutual respect, to help young people understand what hate crimes really mean and the dangers they pose to all of us".
[...] In Israel, President Reuven Rivlin expressed his "shock and outrage" at the attack. Steve Gold from the Jewish Federation in Rockland County said the US had failed the Jewish community. ... On Friday New York city police's hate crimes unit said it was investigating eight anti-Semitic incidents reported since 13 December.
They included a threat by a man who walked into an Orthodox Jewish community organisation's headquarters in Brooklyn and threatened to shoot someone. In another incident a 30-year-old woman reportedly slapped three women in the face. New York Police Department commissioner Dermot Shea has said hate crimes in New York City are up 22% this year. ... In April a gunman killed a female rabbi and wounded three people at a synagogue in San Diego. That attack came exactly six months after the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in US history, when a gunman killed 11 worshippers at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. (MORE - details)
