The churches and ministry:

• Church prays for shooting victims | His Love Fellowship is a church regularly attended by Murray's parents, Ronald and Loretta. The two were not at the prayer service but issued a statement (The Denver Post)


• Missionaries reclaim site of shooting | Young people sing, pray and forgive in Arvada hallway (Rocky Mountain News)


• ‘Let the healing begin’ at New Life | ‘Family meeting’ planned for police and firefighters who responded, members, public (The Gazette)


• ‘The nation is watching’ pastor’s trial by fire | The Rev. Brady Boyd said when he was hired to lead New Life Church that he didn’t want to be in the spotlight (The Gazette)


• Weapons at church? For everything there is a time | Many large churches have taken up arms (The Denver Post)

The gunman:

• Gunman's family releases statement | Expresses grief over his murderous rampage, sympathy for his victims and love for the young man who killed four and wounded five others Sunday (The Denver Post)


• Also: Full statement from Ronald and Loretta Murray (Rocky Mountain News)


• Shooter's lessons strict, rule-driven | Few educators recommend the ultra-religious home-school curriculum, which forbids dating and rock music (The Denver Post)


• Gunman killed by his own bullet | After security guard’s wounds took him down, Murray shot himself with one of the two handguns he was carrying (The Gazette)


• Injured gunman shot self, autopsy shows | Boyd said he wishes he knew why Murray targeted New Life because it would give him some comfort. (The Denver Post)

The gunman’s internet posts:

• Gunman's postings blasted Christians, praised self-cutting (Rocky Mountain News)


• FBI may have been warned about rampage | Federal authorities were alerted to anti-Christian postings apparently written by Matthew Murray only hours after he opened fire on a missionary center and just before his deadly rampage at a Colorado megachurch, the Web site's administrator said (Associated Press, most recent AP story here)


• Gunman wrote of rejection as reason for revenge | At times he was DyingChild_65, at others nghtmrchld26. But regardless of Matthew Murray's alleged screen name, he was always angry when posting to various anti-religious websites (The Denver Post)


• Messages spurred search between shootings | Postings left on an Internet message board Sunday morning by a user referring to himself as "nghtmrchld26" were so alarming that a visitor called authorities (Rocky Mountain News)


• Killer posted Web links to Columbine videos (Rocky Mountain News)


• Debate renewed on Columbine writings | Chilling echoes of Columbine killer Eric Harris' angry manifesto heard in church gunman Matthew Murray's Web writings resonated with two families touched by tragedy (The Denver Post)

The security guard:

• Heroics are talk of guard's town | Her brother in South Dakota is "shocked" that she halted a rampage, but others hailed the ex-cop's shooting skills (The Denver Post)


• Guard walks police through heroic gunbattle at church | Assam met with detectives for most of Tuesday, going over her movements inside the church. She declined to speak with reporters. (Rocky Mountain News)


• Guard fired in ’97 for lying | Blemish on her record in no way diminishes her heroics, a spokesman for the department said (The Gazette)

The victims:

• Arvada victims praised for faith, leadership | Family, friends and grieving members of a "worldwide family" gathered today to celebrate two lost lives (The Denver Post)


• Hundreds mourn missionaries gunned down in Arvada (Rocky Mountain News)


• Arvada shooting victim turned life around | Being a skinhead and Goth in Washington, Penn., Philip Crouse had been the one others feared (The Denver Post)


• Sisters recalled as girls who were going to change world | Rachel and Stephanie Works were both home schooled and both were deeply religious. Their family is well-known in Denver (The Denver Post)

Opinion:

• Action, not reaction | New Life security an example to follow (Editorial, The Gazette)


• Background noise | Acts like Sunday’s can happen anywhere (Editorial, Craig Daily Press, Co.)


• Shooting attacks | There's more to protecting society than guns and armor (Editorial, Lufkin Daily News, Tex.)


• Tragic shootings serve as reminder to be vigilant | A bunker mentality won't help (The Pantagraph, Bloomington-Normal, Ill.)


• Weapons of war at the mall and church | Surely the presidential candidates can’t wait to address the latest gun rampages with a detailed plan of action at the very next televised debate (Editorial, The New York Times)


• Armed guards necessary in today’s world | New Life Church isn’t alone (Barry Noreen, The Gazette)

Posted by Ted Olsen on December 12, 2007 10:18AM