a shooting rampage near the local Assemblies Of God church in this small American town, BosNewsLife monitored Friday September 2.
"Five people died in the grisly event [Sunday night] including the pastor, James Armstrong, 42, church member, Wes Brown, 61, [and] two women passing through town," Assemblies of God (AG) USA said in a statement seen by BosNewsLife following Thursday’s funeral.
The shooter, identified as Fred Cranshaw, committed suicide early Monday, after a nine hour standoff with police and killing the other four people in Sash, about 120 miles (192 kilometers) north of Dallas, near the Oklahoma state line.
Police said witnesses told them Crenshaw, who lived across the street from the Sash Assembly of God church, exchanged words in the church parking lot Sunday night with church member Wes Brown, who asked Crenshaw to leave.
CLOSE RANGE
Crenshaw returned a short time later and shot Brown at close range, and then shot pastor Armstrong witnesses told The Associated Press (AP) news agency.
Deputies found both men dead in a grassy area next to the parking lot, Fannin County Sheriff Kenneth Moore told reporters. Crenshaw then drove to an intersection, where he shot at a truck towing a horse trailer and then killed the two women in the truck after they tried to flee and hide, AP quoted witnesses as telling police.
Investigators have identified one of the women as Holly Love Brown, 50. She is not related to Wes Brown, Moore said.
CRENSHAW SUICIDE
Police forces reportedly attempted to enter Crenshaw’s house where he was hiding, but retreated when he shot at them. They finally entered the house about 6 a.m. local time after firing tear gas inside, but found him in a bedroom with a gunshot wound to the head, Moore said.
It is believed that Crenshaw had shot himself about an hour earlier, AP reported.
Pastor Armstrong’s funeral was held at the First Assembly of God church in Paris, Texas, Thursday, September 1, as police continued to investigate the killings. While investigations continue into the motive behind the murders…the past four days have been filled with shock and sorrow for the small-town residents of Sash," AG USA said.
SURVIVED BY WIFE
Armstrong is survived by his wife Diana. The couple had no children. AG USA said the North Texas District is establishing a James Armstrong Memorial Fund for Diana Armstrong.
At least one resident has suggested that Armstrong was killed because the gunmen objected to the church. Grady Pior, who lives next door to Crenshaw, told AP he learned from church members that Crenshaw "had left rambling, nonsensical notes on their cars and cursed and yelled at them then they left services."
He said he and his wife had called police a couple of times about Crenshaw’s disruptive behavior. "He’s the only person in my life that I’ve had a strange feeling about," Pior reportedly said.
Whatever the motive "your prayers are greatly needed for [Armstrong’s] widow, [Brown’s] widow and the congregation," Texas District Superintendent Victor Schober said in a letter distributed by AG USA. "Ofcourse, we will include the other families of the victims and the community of Sash," he stressed. (With BosNewsLife Research, Stefan J. Bos and reports from the United States).
