Knoxville Unitarian Universalist church shooting
| Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church Shooting | |
|---|---|
| Location | Knoxville, Tennessee, United States |
| Date | July 27, 2008 (EDT) |
Attack type | Mass shooting, religious extremism, political violence, domestic terrorism, right-wing terrorism, hate crime |
| Weapons | Remington Model 48 12-gauge shotgun |
| Deaths | 2 |
| Injured | 7 (6 by gunfire) |
| Perpetrator | Jim David Adkisson |
| Motive | Hatred of liberals and Democrats |
| Part of a series on |
| Terrorism and political violence |
|---|
The Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church shooting was a mass shooting that occurred on July 27, 2008, when an unemployed Tennessee truck driver named Jim David Adkisson went on a shooting rampage at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. Adkisson opened fire on members of the congregation during a church youth performance, killing two people and wounding six others before he was restrained by church members; according to police, he had planned to keep shooting until the police arrived and killed him. A letter, or "manifesto", found in his vehicle after the shooting attributed his motivation for the rampage as a hatred of liberals, Democrats, African Americans, and homosexuals. In the letter he also described what he believed to be the cult-like atmosphere of the church. Adkisson pled guilty to two counts of murder and received a sentence of life in prison without parole.