Pastor shot and killed as he was preaching during Lake Charles church service

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Pastor shot and killed as he was preaching during Lake Charles church service
By The Associated Press
on September 28, 2013 at 12:40 PM, updated September 28, 2013 at 12:44 PM

A Louisiana pastor was shot and killed during a Friday night revival service, and authorities say a suspect has been arrested.

Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Kim Myers says the shooting occurred about 8:20 p.m. Friday at Tabernacle of Praise Worship Center in Lake Charles.

Myers says a gunman walked into the church and shot Pastor Ronald J. Harris Sr. "as he was preaching." Harris was pronounced dead at the scene.

Myers says 53-year-old Woodrow Karey of Lake Charles is charged with second-degree murder and was held in the parish jail Saturday.

Myers says authorities are investigating and have not determined a motive for the shooting.


Read more: http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2013/09/pastor_shot_and_killed_during.html

[Aristus]

1. Repeated use of the words "law-abiding gun-owners"

starting in 3...2...1...


...BTW: they're always law-abiding - until they suddenly aren't anymore...

[marshall]

8. Or how about the "war on christianity" meme?

The agitators never let those memes go to waste, no matter how strained.

[bigdarryl]

2. FUCK!!!!

[47of74]

3. America, Fuck Yeah!

, most definetely

[msongs]

4. the 2A is god's will.what a way to go nt

[MADem]

5. This was "personal" apparently.

"The preacher was preaching, Karey walked in the middle aisle and fired at him shooting him," says Myers. "And then he went and stood over him and shot him again."

http://www.louisianaradionetwork.com/blogs/lake-charles-pastor-shot-dead-during-sermon#.UkcbloasiSo

This narrative sounds like an execution; not sure how they come to "2nd Degree Murder" -- perhaps the pastor was interfering with one of his kids, or his wife or something, and they're going with the assumption that "the balance of his mind was disturbed??" The old "Crime of Passion" excuse?

Another news article said he turned himself in.

Very odd story. I am very curious to learn what would make a person do such a thing, and what would encourage authorities to not charge him with First Degree Murder.

Time will reveal all, I guess.

[Clown is Down]

7. 1st degree is almost impossible to prove...

2nd degree with malice can carry the same punishment, short of state execution, with a lower burden of proof.

[UpInArms]

15. just covered a 1st degree murder trial in northwest Missouri

without a body - and the State still proved its case - the defendant was found guilty of 1st degree murder.

The difference between 1st and 2nd degree here is acted after "cool reflection upon the matter, no matter how briefly" and 2nd degree is action without forethought.

[MADem]

18. This guy may have not "cooly reflected," but he executed that guy most assuredly.

He didn't just shoot him once, he went and stood over him and shot him A-GIN!!!

He wanted to make absolutely sure--in a cool fashion--that the dude was dead.

I can't imagine what would get someone so infuriated that he'd kill someone in public like that, but I'm interested in learning what it was.

[Adsos Letter]

25. I agree.

First thing I thought was that the pastor was sleeping with the shooter's wife. Or something...

I imagine he'll regret it, at some point. Or not.

[MADem]

27. The shooter's booking shot is online at some of the reports-- looks like a deer in the headlights.

He turned himself in, and pointed the law to where he tossed the guns, too.

[jberryhill]

26. States have their own definitions

One of the things that drives me batty in Internet discussions is that folks seem generally unaware that states define and grade crimes differently.

[Shrike47]

28. For instance, in Oregon assault requires physical contact. Not true in some other states.

We don't have a crime of battery, either. And no accessory after the fact.

[jberryhill]

30. Almost all my accessories require batteries

[MADem]

22. Interesting....

It did seem like this guy "executed" that pastor, going up and plugging him again to make sure he got him, but good....

[Ash_F]

14. 2nd degree makes no sense by that description

Usually DAs overcharge. This is wierd.

[MADem]

17. Well, it might not be so weird if the pastor had done something heinous to a family member of the

shooter.

I suppose I'd be inclined to put forward a 2nd degree charge, if--and this is just a big fat speculating IF, mind you--a shooter had just learned that a perp had molested one of the shooter's young children, or something on those lines.

But who knows what the cause is? Maybe it's something as mundane or stupid as "You took my parking space!"

People get killed for anything nowadays....I'm guessing the news will tell us what the deal was soon enough. I'm guessing the police already know, even if they aren't saying....

[christx30]

34. I found

this today

So the pastor was either having an affair with the deacon's wife, or he raped her. Either way, doesn't sound like anyone was the good guy in this story.

[MADem]

35. Well, I'm guessing that the man believed his wife was assaulted.

The fact that she filed a rape charge probably reinforced his belief, too.

That was an over-the-top response to "fooling around," IMO.

But what was in the guy's mind is the key to it all...no matter what the actual truth might have been.

[former9thward]

19. They do overcharge.

But often the DA will make a charge that is easy to defend at the initial arraignment. Then as evidence is accumulated they revise the charges upward.

[Laf.La.Dem.]

6. Too bad everyone in church did not have a gun!!

[workinclasszero]

9. NRA response...more guns needed of course

If everyone in that church would've had an AR-15, the outcome would have been different.

Preacher would still be dead, perp would be dead also and 10 or 20 innocents killed in the crossfire, give or take a few. But hey fellow patriots, that's the price of freeDUMB in Merica!

USA!USA!USA! FreeDUMB ain't free, eh?

Now where did I put that gadsden flag....

[iandhr]

10. Another victim of senseless violence.

[cosmicone]

11. Another "responsible" gun owner who turned out to be irresponsible.

Gundamentalists will argue:

1. He should never have been allowed to buy a firearm (it is the store's and background checkers' fault)

2. If he wanted to kill, he could have killed with a knife, a noose, a poison, a baseball bat, a ninja star or his bare hands anyway.

3. This is a rare, seldom-occurring case. When was the last time a pastor was shot on a Friday, in a church at 8:20 PM? Never?

4. If the parishioners and/or the pastor were armed with machine guns, the gunman wouldn't have succeeded, and,

5. We need armed guards in front of every church entrance and guards in front of the dias pointing loaded guns at the parishioners.

[SammyWinstonJack]

23. ...

[pauliedangerously]

12. Recommended for cosmicone's post -- ntib

[shenmue]

13. :(

Awful.

[tblue]

16. I'm not churchy, but that's messed up.

That poor man and all the people who had to witness that. Awful. Guns = Death. What else can we expect when any Tom, Dick or Harry can easily get their hands on guns am ammo?

[tabasco]

20. "The "well-regulated militia," provided for in the Constitution

strikes again!

[Judi Lynn]

21. That would be some experience for the children in the church, seeing a man murdered.

It might leave a "message" with them that church is a good place to avoid. Too dangerous.

[WhoWoodaKnew]

24. Yeah. That's really, really messed up.

[Shrike47]

29. This sounds personal.

If not, the shooter is probably mentally ill.

[muriel_volestrangler]

31. Shooting of Louisiana pastor followed rape allegation, police say

A pastor shot to death last week at his church in Lake Charles, Louisiana, was accused of rape just days before by the wife of the man who was charged with his killing, authorities said on Monday.
...
Woodrow Karey, 53, of Lake Charles is being held on a second degree murder charge in connection with the pastor's death.

On September 25, Karey's wife filed a rape complaint against Harris, according to a statement released on Monday by the sheriff's office.

Investigators are looking into the "possibility of a relationship" between Harris and the wife of Karey and whether that may have prompted the shooting, according to the sheriff's office.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/01/us-usa-pastor-shot-idUSBRE99002Q20131001

[Coventina]

32. Bingo!

DUers nailed it again! It was personal - deeply personal.
(not that that excuses murder, but it becomes much more understandable)

[nolabear]

33. Was just going to post this. Sounds pretty thick.

Of course now that one of them is dead there's no possibility of justice, just a little revenge and a bunch of lives ruined.

[KamaAina]

36. Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition!