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CNN Live Today

Suspect in Church Shooting Holed Up in New York Home

Aired March 12, 2002 - 14:10   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Police in Lynbrook, New York, that's in Long Island, have surrounded a home where a suspect in a deadly church shooting is said to be holed up. Police say a gunman opened fire in a nearby Catholic church during morning mass, killing the priest and a parishioner. Michael Okwu in Lynbrook, we talked to him last hour. More now 60 minutes later. Have we learned more, Michael?

MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We really haven't learned that much more, Bill. The standoff continues. Of course, this is usually a very quiet, middle class suburb. But right now, it is the focus of a great deal of tension as you can see over my shoulder, that this standoff continues.

We know that there some police officers right now and other local authorities who are briefing the press. We're hoping that we are going to learn a little bit more about what might have -- be going on inside that house and who this particular suspect is. We do know, as you've said, that he walked into this church, this morning, just moments before -- moments after the 9:00 mass had started and fired with a rifle, killing a priest and a female parishioner. All of this happened, again, just 10 minutes after the 9:00 mass.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

INSPECTOR PETE MATUZA, NASSAU COUNTY POLICE: He enters the rear of the church. He's armed with a rifle. He fires a number of shots. Not sure how many shots he fired. One struck a female parishioner. One struck the priest. Both people are -- have been pronounced.

After he fired the shots, he ran out of the church. He was pursued at that time by a male parishioner and an off duty Lynbrook police lieutenant. Somewhere on Fowler, which runs next to the church, apparently there was some sort of struggle with this individual. The gun was rested from him. However, this individual did manage to break free. He ran into a house on Fowler about a block and a half from the church.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OKWU: Now police have recovered his weapon, described at this point only as a rifle, but they have not apprehended the man. And again, he is holed up in a house just 40 to 50 yards away from the church where the shooting took place. We understand from the police that they believe that he was renting a room in that house as others were, and that he had been renting a room there for the past two months or so. We also know that earlier this afternoon, that the police took three people from that house. They made it away from their home. We understand that those were people who were either the landlords or people who might have been renting rooms in the house as well. It is unclear at this point whether they're part of a single family.

There's no indication at this point that there are others in that house. We do know that police believe he is there, but they don't know whether he is armed. They have not made any verbal contact with him, although they said that they have been at least one or two visual sightings of him in the house.

There are some very concerned parents at this location. There are concerned residents. What you see over my shoulder are not just the media, but also people who live in the community. There's a school that is attached to this church that essentially teachers' kids from pre-kindergarten to the sixth grade and the police say that they will not let any of those kids out of school until they apprehend this suspect.

Now, again another word about this priest. We want to tell you a little bit more about him. There's absolutely no indication at this point of whether there is a real connection between the priest and the suspect. But we do know that parishioners here say that he was a wonderful priest. He had served as a chaplain in the fire department and in the Air Force, doing some time in Turkey and doing some time in Iran. And they say that it is a tragedy, if not an irony, that he lost his life in the place that is considered sanctuary for so many people, the church -- Bill.

HEMMER: Right, as he wrapped up his homily, what was to be his final one. Michael, thank you. Michael Okwu there in Lynbrook.

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