Larry Gene Ashbrook
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Larry Gene Ashbrook was the spree killer who, on September 16, 1999, murdered 7 people and injured a further 7 at a concert by Christian Rock Group Forty Days at Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas. Ashbrook then committed suicide. The police investigating the crime had little hope in discovering his motives, although he was noted to be overly pessimistic.
[edit] The Shooting
Ashbrook, 47, interrupted a teen prayer rally at the Wedgwood Baptist Church spouting anti-Baptist rhetoric, before opening fire with a 9mm semiautomatic handgun and a .380-caliber handgun. He reloaded several times during the shooting; 3 empty gun clips were found at the scene. At least three of those killed were teenagers. Four people received somewhat minor injuries, another three received major injuries.
At Ashbrook's home, police found a pipe, end caps to enclose the pipe, gunpowder and a fuse. Ashbrook had thrown a pipe-bomb into the church, but this failed to harm anyone.
[edit] Mental State
Police investigating the massacre could find no solid motive for the crime. However, many people have noted how troubled he appeared and in the months before the shooting he became increasingly paranoid, certain that he was being framed for a serial killing and other crimes that he did not commit. He also feared that the CIA were targetting him, and he reported psychological warfare, assaults by co-workers and being drugged by the police. Just days before the shooting he voiced these concerns to a newspaper, saying "I want someone to tell my story, no one will listen to me; no one will believe me."
[edit] Character
Nine years before the shooting, Ashbrook's mother died. This reportedly sent him into a lifetime of erratic and frightening behaviour. Ashbrook lived for many years with his father, Jack D. Ashbrook. Across the street from the Ashbrooks' home, neighbours said they saw Ashbrook treat his father violently but were afraid to report it. Those who had previously encountered Ashbrook were shocked to discover his crime. City newspaper-editor, Stephen Kaye, who he had visited days before the shooting, described him as being 'the opposite of someone who'd be concerned about', saying he 'couldn't have been any nicer'.
However, his neighbours had an entirely different view of him, describing him as strange and violent, and they were afraid of him. Investigators at his house discovered that he had virtually destroyed the interior of his house, and remarked that he seemed very troubled.
