Church Shooting in Norwood Missouri

Days after churchgoers left their pews mid-sermon to tackle a gunman, they returned to their seats at First Baptist Church in Norwood, Mo., to talk through the experience with chaplains.  Photo courtesy of The Pathway.

Baptist Press

Days after churchgoers left their pews mid-sermon to tackle a gunman armed with a .357 magnum revolver, they returned to their seats at First Baptist Church in Norwood, Mo., for Bible study and to talk through the experience with chaplains.

Many were quiet at first, but by the end of the evening most of the 25 people present began to open up about the traumatic events of July 21 that left the congregation shaken but uninjured.

A man identified in court documents as Earnest J. Smith entered the church that Sunday morning and fired two shots -- one into the ceiling and one at the floor between himself and the pastor -- before being tackled and subdued.

Atlanta Man Shoots and Kills Coworker in Church

AP reports

A former megachurch maintenance man accused of killing a volunteer leading a prayer service was charged more than a decade ago with a shooting at a mosque in Maryland, according to police documents.

Floyd Palmer was acting as security at a Baltimore mosque in June 2001 when he shot another man working with him, wounding him in the back. Palmer tried to fire the gun again, but it jammed. When other people ran over to him, he turned the gun on them, but it again wouldn't fire.

Palmer faced attempted murder, assault and handgun charges, and he was committed to a psychiatric hospital in 2004 after pleading not criminally responsible to lesser charges. Court records show he was released the next year.

It's not clear when he made his way south to Atlanta. He had been working at World Changers Church International, but quit in August for "personal reasons," Fulton County Police Cpl. Kay Lester said.

On Wednesday, authorities said Palmer, 51, calmly walked into a chapel as Greg McDowell, 39, was leading a morning prayer service for a group of about 25 people.

Palmer casually walked out of the chapel and police arrested him several hours later when they spotted his station wagon at a mall in suburban Atlanta. Police said they have not found the gun.

Let's continue to make it easy for guys like this to get guns. Let's continue giving them a slap on the wrist for first offenses. Let's continue listening to the gun-rights folks on this.

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