A
man opened fire in the lobby of the Washington, DC-based Family
Research Council. A security guard was shot in the melee in which the
shooter was taken down by the guard and several other people until the
police arrived. The Family Research Council is a conservative,
Christian think tank, and it is still unclear as to the motives of the
shooter.
Here's the report as it's developing from Fox News:
Here's the report as it's developing from Fox News:
A security guard at the Family Research Council's headquarters in Washington, D.C. is being hailed as a hero after he stopped a gunman posing as an intern, taking a bullet in the arm before wrestling the suspect to the ground.
The gunman entered the lobby of the organization's Chinatown headquarters around 10:45 and expressed disagreement with the conservative group's policy positions, Fox News has learned. When the guard, who was not identified, asked him where he was going, he opened fire, according to police.
"The security guard here is a hero, as far as I'm concerned," D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said. "He did his job. The person never made it past the front."
According to the news report, the suspect "made statements regarding their policies, and then opened fire with a gun striking a security guard."
Sources told Fox New that after guard took away his gun, the suspect said, "Don't shoot me, it was not about you, it was what this place stands for."The Washington Post quotes James McJunkin, the head of the FBI's Washington Field Office, as saying they don't yet know why the suspect started shooting.
Authorities were treating the attack as a case of domestic terrorism, although James McJunkin, the head of the FBI's Washington Field Office, said authorities do not yet know the gunman's motive.
"We don't know enough about him or his circumstances to determine what his connection is to this group [the research council] or his mental state, or what he was doing or thinking of doing," McJunkin said. "So we're going to try to sort this all out, pull the evidence together, do all the interviews we can."Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council, issued a statement which reads, "The police are investigating this incident. Our first concern is with our colleague who was shot today. Our concern is for him and his family."
McJunkin and Lanier said they did not yet know whether the FBI or the D.C. Police would take the lead on the shooting investigation.
In a bizarre report by the Associated Press, the journalist closes the news story by saying that Perkins was "an outspoken defender of Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy's public stand against same-sex marriage."
What does Chick-fil-A have to do with this story at all? Currently... absolutely nothing. It's just strange what some people will report.
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Update: 3:17 pm CDT
Ok... it looks like the AP reporter might have been dropping a hint in his story. Why not just come out and say something rather than make some vague reference to Chick-fil-A. Here's a report by Channel 4 NBC Washington:
Authorities found two loaded magazines with 15 rounds each in the suspect's backpack, as well as Chik-Fil-A promotional materials, NBC4's Jackie Bensen reported.We will keep you posted.
Fast food empire Chik-Fil-A has been at the center of a recent controversy over gay marriage. Chik-Fil-A President Dan Cathy recently spoke out against it, spurring protests, boycotts and a same-sex "kiss in." Meanwhile, supporters of Chik-Fil-A flooded franchises across the country on Chik-Fil-A Appreciation Day Aug. 1.
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