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2020 Shooting, Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine

Lesson Learned from a Deadly-Force Incident at a Place of Worship

Man holding a gun in a church

This article is based on the Safety Member Certification training module "Active Shooter Response."[1]

From the Bible

The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence (2 Samuel 22:3).

Introduction

Again we have to stress, "Expect the unexpected." This church deadly-force incident was not in the church itself, but was on the front steps at the end of an outdoor public event. This yearly event was held outside because it was during the pandemic restrictions. Admittedly, the setting made what would have otherwise been normally unexpected more likely.

The Last Note of the Concert

The afternoon of December 13, 2020 was cool, but not too cold. With the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic still in place, the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in north Manhattan (the seat of the Episcopal Diocese of New York) held its annual Christmas Concert outdoors. The broad front steps of the cathedral served as risers for the choir, the singers well-spaced. Hundreds of people filled the street and the opposite sidewalk to hear the carols and anthems of the season.

When the singers finished, they filed into the church along with several congregants, but the last note had not yet been heard. It would be the sound of gunfire.

No sooner had they gone in when a masked man bounded up the steps. At the top, he turned around with a gun in each hand and fired shots into the air. People still in the street ran for cover and three police officers present ran to the steps and took cover behind garbage cans with guns drawn.

An officer commanded the shooter to drop his weapons. The man yelled out, "Just shoot me. Go ahead and kill me. Kill me."

An officer repeated the command to drop the guns. The man responded by firing at the officers. They fired back. At least one police bullet struck the shooter in the head. The officers treated him until EMTs took over and transported him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The shooter had a bag, which contained rope, tape, knives, and a can of gasoline.

The Troubled Soul

The shooter was a native of the Dominican Republic who was in his 50s. At the time of the incident, he lived with his mother in the Bronx. This was not his first encounter with the law. He had a record of arrests on various charges, including drugs, theft, assault, jumping a subway turnstile, etc. He had also served time in prison for shooting at a police officer.

The motive for the shooting is unclear. His shouts of, "Shoot me," and "Kill me," led many to think that this was suicide by cop. This is further suggested by a possible coming deportation - his visa had expired. On the other hand, he may have had a political statement to make. In his pocket was a note outlining a plan to take hostages then demand that the U.S. pay reparations to Latin American nations, especially those in the Caribbean. It is debatable whether this was a serious political move or a stage on which to get the police to kill him, making him a martyr or hero. However, the contents of the bag did suggest a plan to take hostages and also commit arson.

Whatever the motive was, observers of the shooter's life thought he may have been mentally ill, and his final actions would be consistent with that.

Lesson Learned

While the Introduction said, "Expect the unexpected," a better phrasing would be, "Prepare for the unexpected." We don't expect a gunman to come up the steps and onto the stage, but be ready just in case someone tries.

A public street is not the most secure venue for a concert. However, this was the best option, considering the pandemic restrictions in New York City at that time. Two on-duty police officers were there for security, and the third officer was off-duty, providing hired security for a neighboring business. When they saw the threat, they responded, first getting people out of danger's way.

The advice to watch the crowd for known threats is easy to say, but with everyone wearing masks, how could you identify known threats in a crowd? The police officers were alert for concerning behavior, to which they did respond.

We need to acknowledge the risks of whatever venue we use and adjust our security measures to the setting. In this setting of a street-side concert in front of the church, they obviously had a permit to close this block of the street for the program.

Have barriers up to funnel the crowd through designated entrances, such as on the sidewalk opposite the church. Station safety team members at each entry point. These members will watch people coming in and will look for things such as suspicious bags or packs, signs of weapons, violations of norms, etc. Communicate with other team members via radio, describing persons to be watched.

If the church has security cameras covering the street in front, have someone monitoring them, alert to any signs of suspicion or trouble.

Station incognito team members in the front row of the audience. They will be in a position to intercept anyone heading from the audience to the stage, risers, podium, etc. Team members in the back can notify them of suspicious persons moving their way. As always, behavior provides clues.

The director of the program should have a radio and earphone to be notified of any concerns requiring action on the stage, such as evacuation or going for cover.

Of course medical response team members will be there. With a crowd, there's always the chance of a medical emergency.

Conclusion

Have a safety and security plan for every event. Pay specific attention to each venue.

Training Note

"Active Shooter Response" is one of eight training modules in the Safety Member Certification program. Each safety team member needs to be trained and certified. These classes are online. The mode is Self-Paced Training, which means the student can sign in to a class at any time. A student enrolling has a year to complete the program and be certified for two years. Group rates are available for enrolling more than one student at a time.

Other resources can enhance the training of team members. They can also inform others who want to know what the Safety Team does. Among these resources are articles in the Church Security Guide, which is on the main Sheepdog Church Security website and as Church Security Guide in Security Articles on the training site.[2][3][4][1]

Team Training Opportunity

Kris announced a team training opportunity in the August 14 newsletter. It is starting soon. Called the Accelerated Cohort 24-03, it is scheduled to begin on September 15 and will continue for ten Sundays (until Nov. 17). Kris says it will have "Live Zoom Events: Your team will meet weekly in live, interactive Zoom sessions where they'll see each other, engage with the material, and hold each other accountable."

Enroll Now. Not much time is left.

References

Sheepdog Church Security Resources

  1. Kris Moloney, "Active Shooter Response," Safety Member Certification, Sheepdog Church Security, © 2020 [https://sheepdog-church-security.thinkific.com/bundles/safety-member-certification].
  2. Kris Moloney, Church Security Guide, Sheepdog Church Security, © Copyright 2018 [https://sheepdogchurchsecurity.net/church-security-guide/].
  3. Kris P. Moloney, Church Security Guide, Sheepdog Articles, Safety Member Certification, Sheepdog Church Security, 2018/2023 [https://sheepdog-church-security.thinkific.com/pages/security-articles?c=church-security-guide].
  4. Kris P. Moloney, Rachel M. Moloney, Wesley G. Vaughn, Terry Berringer, et al., Sheepdog Articles, Safety Member Certification, Sheepdog Church Security, 2023, 2024 [https://sheepdog-church-security.thinkific.com/pages/security-articles].

News Accounts

  1. Lucas Manfredi, "NYPD shoot armed suspect at Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine," Fox News, December 13, 2020 [https://www.foxnews.com/us/nypd-shoot-armed-suspect-involved-in-incident-at-cathedral-church-of-st-john-the-divine-christmas-concert].
  2. Gabrielle Fonrouge, "NYPD footage shows moment crazed gunman opens fire at St. John the Divine," New York Post, March 12, 2021, Updated March 13, 2021 [https://nypost.com/2021/03/12/nypd-bodycam-footage-shows-gunman-opening-fire-at-st-john-the-divine/].
  3. Alberto Luperon, "Man Who Opened Fire at NYC Church Yelled 'Kill Me': Police," Law & Crime, December 13, 2020 [https://lawandcrime.com/crime/police-announce-tentative-identification-of-man-who-opened-fire-at-nyc-church/].
  4. Jessica McBride, "New York Police Shoot Gunman Near Prominent Cathedral After Christmas Concert," Heavy, Updated Dec 14, 2020 [https://heavy.com/news/new-york-cathedral-shooting-saint-john-the-divine/].
  5. Reporting by Jeenah Moon and Peter Szekely in New York City; Writing by Steve Gorman, "Gunman shot dead by police at NYC church after concert; no one else wounded," Reuters, December 13, 2020 [https://www.reuters.com/world/us/gunman-shot-killed-by-police-nyc-church-after-outdoor-concert-2020-12-13/].
  6. Sarah Rumpf, "BREAKING: Gunman Killed By Police After Firing 20 Shots at NYC Church During Christmas Concert," Mediaite, December 13, 2020 [https://www.mediaite.com/crime/breaking-gunman-killed-by-police-after-firing-20-shots-at-nyc-church-during-christmas-concert/].
  7. Alec Snyder, Sheena Jones, and Alaa Elassar, "A gunman is dead after a shooting at a New York City cathedral," CNN, Updated December 13, 2020 [https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/13/us/nyc-church-shooting-chirstmas-concert-trnd/index.html].
  8. Eyewitness News staff, "Body cam video released from deadly church shooting following Christmas concert at St. John the Divine," WABC-TV, March 13, 2021 [https://abc7ny.com/shooting-church-st-john-the-divine-body-cam-footage/10413844/].
  9. Jonathan Dienst and Phil Lipof, "NYC Cathedral Shooter Had Extensive, Violent Record, Sources Say," NBC New York, Published December 14, 2020, Updated on December 15, 2020 [https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/nyc-cathedral-shooter-had-extensive-violent-record-sources-say/2779257/].
  10. Larry Celona, Tina Moore and Jorge Fitz-Gibbon, "St. John the Divine Cathedral shooter ID'd, had attempted murder charge," New York Post, December 14, 2020 [https://nypost.com/2020/12/14/st-john-the-divine-cathedral-shooter-had-attempted-murder-charge/].
  11. Jonathan Dienst and Tom Winter, "NYC Cathedral Shooter Left Note Detailing Plans to Take Hostages," NBC New York, Published December 15, 2020, Updated on December 16, 2020 [https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/nyc-cathedral-shooter-left-note-detailing-plans-to-take-hostages/2782516/].