The picture of the Alabama man accused with shooting and murdering three people on Friday shows a noticeable black eye from being assaulted with a folding chair.
Robert Findlay Smith, 70, has been arrested with capital murder in connection with the attack on Thursday evening at St. Stephens Episcopal Church outside Birmingham.
He was accused of shooting two 84-year-olds and a 75-year-old victim before another church member in his 70s approached the shooter and beat him with a folding chair to put an end to his assault.
Rev. Doug Carpenter, the church’s former pastor, allegedly claimed that He struck him with a folding chair, wrestled him to the floor, got the gun from him, and whacked him in the head with his own gun.
Per the photo given by the Jefferson County Jail in Birmingham, the parishioner was then able to take down Smith, leaving him virtually uninjured but with a significant bruise and a bloodshot eye.
Officials reported Friday that all three individuals shot during the Thursday incident died as a result of their wounds.
Smith’s motivation for the shooting remains unknown.
Carpenter allegedly claimed that witnesses characterised Smith, who had before attended church functions on an irregular basis, sitting alone and not eating at the meal.
Before opening fire, the shooter reportedly rebuffed invites from church members to attend the potluck.
Carpenter, who retired in 2005, was perplexed that why would a man who’s been around for a long choose to go to a meal and murder someone? It made no sense.
Church members detained the guy, named Smith, until police came.
Police Capt. Shane Ware said during a press conference Friday that in my perspective, the guy who restrained the offender was a hero, adding that the move was very crucial in protecting lives.
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