N.M church stabbing: Choir members stabbed by knife-wielding man in attendance, Albuquerque police have an identity for the man accused of stabbing four people at a Catholic church in Albuquerque as the Sunday mass was nearing its end.
The LA Times reported April 28 on the church stabbing. Police spokesman Robert Gibbs says 24-year-old Lawrence Capener is now in custody and is expected to face felony charges.
Investigators say Capener jumped over several pews at St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church around noon Sunday, walked up to the choir area and then began stabbing members of the church, some of which were choir singers.
The injuries sustained to the four church-goers are not considered life-threatening.
An off-duty police officer in attendance for the service, as well as other good Samaritans, rushed to subdue the crazed man before he could inflict further harm. Capener was held him until police arrived.
The stabbings occurred as the choir had just begun its closing hymns.
Archbishop of Santa Fe Michael Sheehan released a statement saying he was saddened by the attack. "I pray for all who have been harmed, their families, the parishioners and that nothing like this will ever happen again," Sheehan said.
Reyes Stinson, an 18-year-old in attendance for the church service, expressed dismay that such violence would occur in a church.
"While that was going on, people were just panicking. It was scary, you wouldn’t think something like that would happen in church," Reyes Stinson said.
Another young parishioner, 14-year-old Vanessa Lucero, said she was sitting right behind the man, who "was kind of twitchy, sketchy looking. He had a tattoo of an upside-down star on his wrist."
Lucero said the man climbed over the pews, punched and then repeatedly stabbed the choir's lead singer.
"He said something like, "False preacher!'" Lucero said. "I don’t know why."
The LA Times reported April 28 on the church stabbing. Police spokesman Robert Gibbs says 24-year-old Lawrence Capener is now in custody and is expected to face felony charges.
Investigators say Capener jumped over several pews at St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church around noon Sunday, walked up to the choir area and then began stabbing members of the church, some of which were choir singers.
The injuries sustained to the four church-goers are not considered life-threatening.
An off-duty police officer in attendance for the service, as well as other good Samaritans, rushed to subdue the crazed man before he could inflict further harm. Capener was held him until police arrived.
The stabbings occurred as the choir had just begun its closing hymns.
Archbishop of Santa Fe Michael Sheehan released a statement saying he was saddened by the attack. "I pray for all who have been harmed, their families, the parishioners and that nothing like this will ever happen again," Sheehan said.
Reyes Stinson, an 18-year-old in attendance for the church service, expressed dismay that such violence would occur in a church.
"While that was going on, people were just panicking. It was scary, you wouldn’t think something like that would happen in church," Reyes Stinson said.
Another young parishioner, 14-year-old Vanessa Lucero, said she was sitting right behind the man, who "was kind of twitchy, sketchy looking. He had a tattoo of an upside-down star on his wrist."
Lucero said the man climbed over the pews, punched and then repeatedly stabbed the choir's lead singer.
"He said something like, "False preacher!'" Lucero said. "I don’t know why."
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