Knoxville man kills two in antigay rage

By Victoria A. Brownworth
PGN Contributor
© 2008 Victoria Brownworth and Philadelphia Gay News

A 58-year-old man shot and killed two people last week in his ex-wife’s former church, located in Knoxville, Tenn., before members of the congregation subdued him.

Jim D. Adkisson targeted Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church on July 27 because, as he detailed in a four-page letter police found in his SUV, he “hated the liberal movement” and was upset with “liberals in general as well as gays.”

Friends of the alleged killer confirm he did not like gays.

The church had put up a billboard welcoming members of the LGBT community to the congregation just days before the shooting. According to members of the congregation, one of the goals of the church is to “increase congregational participation in human-rights programs for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons.”

On its Web site, the church describes itself as a community that has worked for social change — including desegregation, women’s rights and gay rights — since the 1950s.

Knoxville police are treating the shooting as a hate crime and the FBI is also investigating.

Police said Adkisson was distraught over recent events in his life: He was losing his food stamps, could not find a job and was on the verge of destitution. A friend told police he blamed “liberals and gays” for being out of work.

Adkisson came to the church with 76 rounds of ammunition for his 12-gauge shotgun and, according to his letter, intended to keep shooting until police killed him. At the time of the shooting — 10 a.m. — there were about 200 people in the church. A children’s production of the musical “Annie” was being performed when Adkisson opened fire in the church sanctuary. He brought the gun into the church in a guitar case.

Nine people were shot; two were killed. Greg McKendry, 60, an usher and a board member at the church, was shot at point-blank range when he confronted Adkisson and died at the scene. Church member Barbara Kemper said McKendry “stood in the front of the gunman and took the blast to protect the rest of us.”

Other witnesses confirmed Kemper’s report, saying that McKendry kept Adkisson from firing more shots for a period of time, using his own body as a shield until other parishioners tackled Adkisson and subdued him.

In addition to McKendry, Linda Kraeger, 61, died later that day at a local hospital. Four of the shooting victims were in critical condition for several days after the shooting. All but one had been released at press time.

In the days after the attack, Adkisson told police the church’s liberal teachings spurred the shooting and that “all liberals and gays should die.”

Adkisson is said to have described himself to acquaintances as “a Confederate” and “a believer in the Old South.”

In a search warrant and accompanying affidavit for Adkisson’s home, the suspect told police that liberals should be killed because they were ruining the country. He also blamed Democrats for the country’s decline, according to the affidavit.

“He felt that the Democrats had tied his country’s hands in the war on terror and they had ruined every institution in America with the aid of major media outlets,” the affidavit stated. “Because he could not get to the leaders of the liberal movement ... he would then target those that had voted them into office.”

TVUUC was more than just welcoming to LGBT members, which may have pushed Adkisson to choose it as a target.

The church had programs specifically for the LGBT community and encouraged participation in those programs from outside as well as inside the church.

According to an interview in the Unitarian Universalist World Magazine, TVUUC had a gay men’s group that met every Monday night. It also had a group geared toward teenagers who had recently come out as LGBTQ, called the Spectrum Café.

Adkisson appeared Aug. 5 for a hearing in Felony Sessions Court, where he was formally charged with two counts of first-degree murder and related weapons offenses. Hate-crimes charges are pending. Adkisson remains in jail on $1-million bond.