Tennessee Church Shooter Heard Voices, Saw Visions Before Killings
The gunman who open fired at a church in Tennessee last month claimed he heard voices and had visions of a particular church at that, a detective said on Monday.
Nashville Police Detective Steve Jolley said at a hearing in Davidson County General Sessions Court on Monday that the gunman, who has been identified as Emanuel Kidega Samson, 25, told police about his visions of Burnette Chapel Church of Christ. But when police pressed for more answers, he would not say any further details.
"He was just very vague and he didn't really elaborate on anything," the detective stated.
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Jolley also confirmed reports of a note that was found in Samson's car, referencing a white supremacist massacre back in 2015. "Dylann Roof was less than nothing," the note read. It was first reported by The Associated Press. The gunman, Roof, killed nine people from a black congregation.
Samson fatally wounded a woman and injured seven other people when he went on a shooting rampage on Sept. 24 at a church in Nashville. All victims were white. As of now, it remains unclear if he specifically picked them out based on their race.
The gunman, however, has denied targeting his victims based on race or religion.
Although Samson was indifferent through most of the two-hour interview, at one point he broke down in tears when he was asked about hurt and pain, the detective revealed.
The gunman had been struggling to hold a job and was in an unstable relationship that had the police involved two times within the year. Earlier this year, he also expressed suicidal thoughts.
A 22-year-old church member named Robert Caleb Engle has been hailed a hero for confronting the assailant twice, and eventually overpowering him.
Samson is being charged with the murder of 38-year-old Melanie L. Crow from Smyrna, Tennessee. Additional are expected.
