|
 Kyle Odom, 30, was taken into custody in Washington D.C. in
connection with the Sunday afternoon shooting of Pastor Tim
Remington outside the Altar Church, Coeur d'Alene Police Department
Chief Lee White said in a late Tuesday news conference.
Odom was apprehended by Secret Service officers after he tossed
several items, including flash drives, over the fence of the White
House, White said.
The items thrown by Odom were deemed non-hazardous, the U.S. Secret
Service said in a statement.
The attack on the pastor is the latest in a spate of highly
publicized shootings in the United States that have made gun control
an issue in the presidential race.
 Remington had led a prayer at a Cruz rally on Saturday and was shot
by Odom, an ex-marine, the next day in the church parking lot in a
preplanned attack, police said.
The senior pastor was shot six times, including in the skull, after
Sunday morning service, John Padula, outreach pastor at the church
told Reuters. Remington regained consciousness on Monday evening as
a candlelight vigil for his recovery was underway, Padula said.
"He opened one eye and gave me a thumbs up," Padula said, adding
that Remington does not have feeling in his right arm but appears to
be improving. "Without God, there is no way he'd be here."
There is no apparent connection between the shooting and Remington's
appearance at the Cruz rally, Padula noted.
[to top of second column] |
Cruz, an outspoken supporter of gun rights, could not be reached for
comment on Tuesday, but a campaign spokeswoman told NBC News on
Monday that they were praying for Remington's recovery.
Odom flew from Boise, Idaho to Washington D.C., on March 7, White
said. An investigation into his plans was ongoing.
The police chief, who previously said Odom had a history of mental
illness, read a statement from Odom's family saying they were
thankful for his "safe apprehension."
Local broadcaster KXLY reported that a Facebook page linked with
Odom, who police said suffered from mental illness, was updated on
Tuesday with a statement claiming that Remington was part of an
ancient Martian civilization that ruled Earth.
(Reporting by Curtis Skinner and Victoria Cavaliere; Editing by Sara
Catania, G Crosse, Kim Coghill and Michael Perry)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
