The US Department of Justice and The Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, have since opened a federal civil rights investigation of the shooting at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch, a neighborhood in Davidson County governed by Nashville.
There were about 50 people still inside the church when the shooting began. Seven were fatally wounded by shooter.
How it happened
"The first call reporting multiple gunshots came in around 11:15 a.m. CT," police spokesman Don Aaron told reporters. "The killer was in the church's parking lot as a prayer service was letting out, he shot and killed Smith as she was walking to her car. He entered the church through the sanctuary's main door and began indiscriminately shooting. It would appear he was not expecting a brave individual like the church usher to initiate the struggle and confrontation."
Church members told police that the gunman attended the church about a year or two ago, but they had not seen him since then.
They could not immediately identify him as the shooter because the gunman was masked.
The gunman shot and kiiled 39-year-old Melanie Smith, outside the building, he then entered the church with two pistols and continuing to shoot sparadically.
The identity of the gunman
The 25-year-old killer, identified as Emmanuel Kidega Samson, a Sudanese with legal US residency, was hospitalized for gunshot wounds he sustained him and has since been released to American investigators. He will be charged with murder and attempted murder.
In the mean time, American authorities are still investigating a potential motive for the shooting. Investigators have also requested the assistance of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to run an "urgent trace" on a firearm, so as to trace where the gun was purchased, who purchased it and whether it was purchased legally or otherwise, reports say.
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