Family Research Council Guard Wounded in Shooting

Posted on Aug 15, 2012

AP/J. Scott Applewhite

Washington, D.C., police and FBI agents gather outside the headquarters of the Family Research Council on Wednesday after a security guard at the conservative group was shot in the arm.

Authorities are trying to determine why a gunman walked into the lobby of the Family Research Council headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday and opened fire, leaving one security guard injured. 

The guard, who was shot in the arm, is said to be in stable condition. “The security guard here is a hero, as far as I’m concerned,” D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said. “He did his job. The person never made it past the front.”

Police say the shooter, who is now in FBI custody, at one point voiced disagreement with the conservative policy organization’s views. It remains unclear whether the Family Research Council was targeted because of its political views, but officials say that will be part of the investigation.

“We don’t know enough about him or his circumstances to determine what his connection is to this group [the research council] or his mental state, or what he was doing or thinking of doing,” James McJunkin, head of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, said. “So we’re going to try to sort this all out, pull the evidence together, do all the interviews we can.”

—Posted by Tracy Bloom.

The Washington Post:

The shooter is in FBI custody and has not yet been charged, authorities said. A law enforcement official said at one point in the scuffle, the shooter expressed views that differed from those of the Family Research Council. The official also said the shooter was carrying a bag that had a Chick-Fil-A bag inside. Chick-Fil-A’s chief executive has expressed similar views against same-sex marriage as the Research Council.

Authorities did not identify the shooter or the security guard. They also would not say what kind of gun the shooter used or whether the security guard was armed. They still are uncertain of a motive, they said.

The Family Research Council is a conservative organization that deals in issues of faith, family and freedom, according to its Web site. The site says the organization is against abortion and euthanasia and considers homosexuality to be a sin.

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