The Daingerfield church shooting was a mass murder that occurred at the First Baptist Church in Daingerfield, Texas, United States on June 22, 1980. Alvin Lee King III, 45, a former high school teacher, armed with an M1 carbine, two revolvers, and a scoped, Colt AR-15 SP1 rifle, killed five people and wounded 10 others, after members of the church had declined his request to appear as character witnesses in a trial in which he was charged with raping his daughter. King was arrested after shooting himself and charged with five counts of murder and ten counts of attempted murder, but committed suicide in his prison cell on January 19, 1982, before he could be tried.[1][2][3][4]
| Daingerfield church shooting | |
|---|---|
| Location | Daingerfield, Texas, United States |
| Coordinates | 33°01′52″N 94°43′24″W / 33.03110°N 94.72327°W |
| Date | June 22, 1980 |
| Target | Congregants of First Baptist Church |
Attack type | Mass murder, mass shooting hate crime |
| Weapons |
|
| Deaths | 5 |
| Injured | 11 (including the perpetrator) |
| Perpetrator | Alvin Lee King III |
| Motive | Revenge against church-goers for not testifying against trial |
Victims
edit- Gene Gandy, 50[3]
- Gina Linam, 7[3]
- J.Y. "Red" McDaniel, 49[3]
- Thelma Richardson, 78[3]
- Kenneth Truitt, 49[3]
Additionally, Arthur Greaves, 69, Robert Jack Dean, 56, and Laverne McDaniel were injured during the shooting.[3][4]
In popular culture
editFaith Under Fire (2012)
Law & Order, Season 1, Episode 18 - "The Secret Sharers" (1991)
Linam, Larry (2010). The Day the Angels Cried. AuthorHouse. ISBN 978-1449056865.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Ex-teacher accused of killing 5 hangs self, Star-News (January 20, 1982)
- ^ "This Is War!", Time (July 7, 1980)
- ^ a b c d e f g Five die in church shooting, Spokane Daily Chronicle (June 23, 1980)
- ^ a b Blood of the Lamb, Texas Monthly (March 1983)
External links
edit- A History of Mass Violence: A KXAN Investigative Special
- How A Small Texas Town Coped With A 1980 Church Shooting (HBO)
- 1980 Church Shooting In Daingerfield, TX | Jay Gormley
- 35th anniversary of Daingerfield church shooting
- Survivors reflect on Daingerfield church shooting 40 years later
- Laverne McDaniel Interview-Daingerfield church shooting 1980
- King competency
- King / comp
- Blood of the Lamb
- Shattered Sanctuary
- Daingerfield knows church's pain after shooting
- Two Texas Churches, Linked by Tragedy Amid the Pews
- NEVER FORGOTTEN: Survivors reflect on Daingerfield church shooting 40 years later
- 1980 Daingerfield Church shooting
- Targeting faith
- East Texans remember church shooting
- King
- mass violence
- mass violence
- Power of Prayer: East Texas pastor guided spiritual healing after America’s first mass shooting in a church
- Career in a Year Photos 1980: Gunman arraigned for Daingerfield church murders
- Cawthorne, Nigel (5 May 2009). Spree Killers: Devastating Massacres by Unpredictable Gunmen. Hachette UK. ISBN 9780857653291.
- "Texas Monthly". Texas Monthly. 3 (11). Emmis Communications: 224. March 1983. ISSN 0148-7736.
- Five Die As Gunman Invades Tex. Church, Fires at Congregation
- Church Prepares To Bury Its Dead
- Nation: This Is War!