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WND FAITH UNDER FIRE
Hero guard: 'It was me, the gunman, and God'
Woman who ended carnage: 'I knew what I had to do'
Posted: December 10, 2007
7:29 p.m. Eastern
By Bob Unruh
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
Jeanne Assam (Courtesy KUSA-TV)
DENVER -- The female security guard who shot and stopped a gunman at a Colorado Springs church yesterday is crediting God for helping her to resolve the threat by killing the assailant.
Jeanne Assam was hailed by Pastor Brady Boyd with saving many lives in her quick response to gunshots fired at the New Life Church.
"I give the credit to God, and I mean that, I say that very humbly, God was with me the whole time I was behind cover," she told reporters. "It seemed like it was me, the gunman and God."
Assam indicated she felt weak as she approached the gunman, since she had been fasting.
"My hands weren't even shaking. I knew what I had to do," she said.
"This has got to be God, because of the firepower that [the gunman] had versus what I had -- was God. I did not run away, and I didn't think for a minute to run away. I just knew that I was given the assignment to end this before it got too much worse. I just prayed for the Holy Spirit to guide me."
Assam said she's drawn her weapon countless times in her previous work in law enforcement. But she said she's never had to fire before.
Two teen girls were killed by the attacker in the church parking lot, and two other people were injured in the attack by a gunman identified as Matthew Murray, 24, of Englewood.
Authorities in court papers alleged he had been dismissed from a program at the evangelical Youth With A Mission missionary training program in Arvada, Colo., several years ago.
Police confirmed the attack started at the Arvada training center very early Sunday, where a man apparently seeking a place to stay appeared. He pulled a gun and shortly started firing. Authorities said Tiffany Johnson, 26, of Minnesota, and Philip Crouse, 24, of Alaska, were killed and two others injured.
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Murray fled, only to appear 12 hours later at New Life Church in Colorado Springs. The attack started in the parking lot, where Stephanie Works, 18, and Rachel Works, 16, were shot and killed, police said. Their father, David Works, 51, was reported hospitalized with gunshot wounds in his abdomen and groin, while Judy Purcell, 40, was wounded in her shoulder, and Larry Bourbannais, 59, was wounded in his arm. They both were treated and released.
Boyd said Assam probably saved 100 lives, and police confirmed the attacker's backpack contained clips that could have held more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition for the assault weapon he carried.
Charl Van Wyk, who is credited with saving parishioners' lives when he fired back at terrorists in the St. James Massacre in South Africa, says Assam should be honored.
"The woman who saved lives should get a medal," Van Wyk told WND.
"Having gone through such a catastrophic experience, my heart goes out to the family, friends and colleagues of those who were murdered and injured at the two church attacks," said Van Wyk.
"Christians need to be prepared to protect themselves against such attacks; policemen cannot be everywhere all the time and can generally only clean up the mess after such a tragic event," he continued. "Christians must not think that justice must be ignored because of their faith. The Bible is quite clear that God has instituted civil government as the Minister of Justice and the Church as the Minister of His Grace. These authorities, instituted by God, have different functions, but both operate under His perfect commands found in the Bible."
He told how on June 23, 1978, terrorists murdered nine British missionaries and four young children, including a three-week-old baby at a mission in Zimbabwe. |
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