By David Codrea
USA – -(Ammoland.com)- “Everything you’ve ever doubted or made to be believe as false, is real. & vice versa,” Facebook posts published Sunday by the suspect arrested for a Tennessee church shooting declared. “Become the creator instead of what’s created. Whatever you say, goes. You are more than what they told us.”
Sudanese immigrant Emanuel K. Samson, 25, allegedly shot and killed one woman outside the church and then went inside, opening fire on the congregation and injuring eight others, including himself. Samson, reportedly wearing a mask, was stopped in his rampage when, per WKRN News 2 Nashville, church usher and concealed carry permit holder Robert Engle, 22, retrieved his firearm from his car and held the attacker until authorities arrived, an act described by police as “extraordinarily brave.”
“A motive wasn’t immediately known,” the report noted. A statement from the U.S. Department of Justice advised:
“The Memphis FBI Field Office’s Nashville Resident Agency, the Civil Rights Division, and the US Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee have opened a civil rights investigation into the shooting at the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch, Tennessee. The FBI will collect all available facts and evidence. As this is an ongoing investigation we are not able to comment further at this time.”
Pending release of further information from that investigation and further reports where interviews with family and friends can reveal more, that motive is subject to speculation based on what can be learned from other resources uncovering who Samson is. One such resource is “real-time news and information portal” Heavy.com, which has posted “Emanuel Samson: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know.” Included in that report are further background details and a video interview with a police spokesman and the fact that he is “Trilingual in the following languages: English, Arabic, and Acholi (tribal language).”
Checking social media, Samson had a Twitter account, which now indicates “Sorry, that page doesn’t exist!” Samson’s Facebook page has not been taken down at this writing, but in anticipation of its possible removal, several screenshots have been taken of posts he has made that may give further insights into what might have influenced his action.
Two major influences appear to have been bodybuilding and religion. A proliferation of self-portraits highlighting his muscular physique speaks of a person very much into his physical appearance and strength. Spiritual references also appear throughout, News accounts indicate he used to worship at the church he attacked although he has not attended in recent years.
Other posts that may shed further light are more political in nature and reveal stories and ideas he believed worth sharing his opinions on, and include subjects like Islam, Black Panthers, Africa, the police, and being against “white extremism.”
Noting that some of Samson’s opinions and concerns are not without basis, the fact remains his opinions have been colored by “progressive” interpretations. In no case can these excuse, mitigate or even make understandable why he developed murderous rage, snapped and took it out on innocent churchgoers in a country that took him in and provided opportunities he’s have never known in his native Sudan.
What’s undiscovered at this writing is if Samson’s guns were legally owned, or if he had a concealed carry permit. What’s known is that a lawful concealed carrier saved the day before the police could have possibly arrived, something the gun-grab groups scoff at.
So leave it to the Bloomberg lackeys at Everytown to not even mention that, but to instead self-righteously snivel:
“Churches should be peaceful places where families gather to worship without the threat of gun violence.”
If it had been up to them and to the citizen disarmament policies they demand, Samson would have had plenty of opportunity to up the body count.
About David Codrea:
David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating / defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament.
In addition to being a field editor/columnist at GUNS Magazine and associate editor for Oath Keepers, he blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.
Thank you for explaining your views. You might be able to help out with some other questions I have. I agree that there are deep social issues that drive crime. Guns sold in the US don’t cause crime, but they certainly facilitate it, not just in the US, but in Central America as well. A large number of the crimes we read about would simply be impossible to commit without guns or similar-level firepower. A person intent on mass-knifing a crowd probably wouldn’t get very far (though I know there have been some significant ones), and a large portion of… Read more »
Your message on the heals of the Las Vegas massacre is very poorly timed at best. More, your logic in justifying the proliferation of guns in this case is badly flawed. The Second Amendment surely could not have anticipated such an abuse of its intent and purpose. What I see more today is “the Chicken and Egg story” whereby the USA has become so impacted by violent acts and simply violence that it has caused the citizens to arm themselves as protection against the likelihood of violence against them. In essence, let’s arm all of the Chickens as defense against… Read more »
Finally, after hundreds of thousands of gun homicides and millions of gun suicides in the US, we have the mythical “good guy with a gun”. Miracles do happen … well, not quite. The shooter wasn’t taken out with a gun, but only held at bay after he had already shot himself. Sorry, we can’t quite call it that. You know there is a reason why a good guy has never taken out a spree shooter. People realize, when confronted with the situation, that they have a strong likelihood of missing and hitting an innocent person, or of drawing the shooter’s… Read more »
Imagine, a black immigrant shot up a church. He, probably, got upset about the nfl and decided to level the playing field. Whatever his reason was is not a conceivable way to conduct himself. This is close to Nashville that has turned somewhat liberal and they probably welcomed him with open arms and lots of dollars. Keep giving to us or we will protest and, possibly, shoot you.
Many people I know from church carry. I would pity the fool that tries to rob our church. No signs on the doors restricting guns and no one objects.
Keep on carrying to church. It is our God ordained and right. I preach sometimes while wearing my pistol on my side open. I always carry when I go to church sometimes concealed simply because of having fun being diverse. All my deacons carry and many members also. Kudos for the one brother that was at least cognizant to go to the car and retrieve his gun. This and other stats agree with John Lotts great book More Guns less crime!! We as a country have given more help to the peoples of the world than any other country and… Read more »
Just another murdering foreign thug. No name, No glory or fame. No trial, just kill him.
Maybe he was watching too much NFL Football?
It couldn’t happen in a church they are a “gun free zone”! AKA “free kill zone” Surely the best way to save lives it to make people defenseless.
Hope somebody tests him for ‘roids.
Seeing as how they were all white victims and the shooter was black could it be termed a racial crime, or a hate crime?
Probably not as it wouldn’t fit the liberal definition of a hate crime.