Guard hailed in attack at D.C. conservative group
Washington police and FBI agents gather outside the Family Research Council in Washington Aug. 15, 2012, after a security guard at the lobbying group was shot in the arm. / AP Photo
(CBS/AP) WASHINGTON - The scene was a frightening one: A man walked into the lobby of a political organization, assailed the group's work, pulled a gun and opened fire.
But when it happened Wednesday morning at the downtown Washington headquarters of the Family Research Council, only one person was injured: the security guard. And after being struck in the arm, he helped wrestle the gunman to the floor, thwarting an attack that police fear could have turned deadly.
"The security guard here is a hero, in my opinion," D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said of Leo Johnson, who was conscious and in stable condition at an area hospital after the shooting.
Police and the FBI were investigating why the armed man, identified as 28-year-old Floyd Lee Corkins II of Herndon, Va., entered the front lobby of the conservative group, argued with the guard and opened fire. But one law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the suspect made a negative reference about the group's work and what it stands for before shooting.
CBS Washington affiliate WUSA-TV reports that authorities said the gun was purchased legally.
Cops: LGBT volunteer shoots conservative group's guard
Corkins was being held on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon, the FBI said in a news release Wednesday night. Authorities were interviewing him and canvassing his neighborhood in Herndon, located about 24 miles from the nation's capital.
Television news footage showed the suspect, a large man with a shaved head and an unbuttoned striped shirt, being led to a car with his hands restrained. It was not immediately clear if he had a lawyer.
Though authorities did not publicly reveal a motive, advocacy groups across the ideological spectrum condemned the violence, with some casting it as a hate crime. President Obama was concerned about the well-being of the guard, a White House spokesman said, and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney also said he was appalled.
"Today's attack is the clearest sign we've seen that labeling pro-marriage groups as 'hateful' must end," Brian Brown, the president of the National Organization for Marriage, said in a statement.
The Family Research Council, headquartered in a busy downtown tourist district, strongly opposes gay marriage and abortion and says it advocates "faith, family and freedom in public policy and public opinion." The group maintains a powerful lobbying presence on those causes, testifying before Congress and reviewing legislation. Its president, Tony Perkins, said the group's main concern was with the wounded guard.
Corkins, who had been volunteering recently at a community center for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, made a negative comment about the organization's activity before the shooting, but the reference was not specific, one of the law enforcement officials said. Two law enforcement officials said Corkins was carrying sandwiches from Chick-fil-A, a fast-food chain whose president's public opposition to same-sex marriage recently placed the restaurant at the center of a national cultural debate.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigating is continuing.
Johnson, who was taken to the hospital Wednesday, was expected to survive.
"The security guard did a phenomenal job, above and beyond what he was supposed to do in this particular situation," said Jacqueline Maguire, a spokeswoman for the FBI's Washington field office.
Corkins had been volunteering for about the past six months at The DC Center for the LGBT Community, said David Mariner, executive director of the community center, in Northwest Washington. He usually staffed the center's front desk on Saturdays, and his most recent shift was about two weeks ago.
"He always struck me as a kind, gentle and unassuming young man. I'm very surprised that he could be involved in something like this," Mariner said.
Authorities seized Corkins' car at a northern Virginia Metro station, and were going door-to-door interviewing neighbors, several of whom spoke highly of the family.
"They were always so sweet and so nice," said Stephanie Meyer, who lives a few doors down. "They are awesome people. We never had any issues."
According to a U.S. Defense Department official, Corkins is not a member of the Air Force, but he may have lived at Andrews Air Force base in some other capacity in the past, possibly as a dependent or family member. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to provide personal information.
Amy Biondi and her husband Steve were visiting Washington from Long Island with their daughter and a friend and tried to ask officers for help with a parking meter when they were told there was a situation they had to deal with. The door to the FRC was opened, and an officer could be heard repeatedly shouting, "Put the gun down, put the gun down."
"Next thing you know there are police officers swarming the area," said Biondi, 45, a massage therapist from St. James, N.Y.
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Move along people,nothing to see here!
In all seriousness, kudos to the security guard. Hero of the first order.
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violence IS the way to further your cause, if your cause is to kill someone
Simple fact, only way to prevent conflicting points of view is to remove free wills and free expressions. And forcing one's opinions as the "only" answer.
The fact that conflicting opinions get to the emotional core, is proof of emotion. The result is acting out that emotion, in this case, rage.
BTW, there has been no society, in the history of the world, that was truely "peaceful", closest was India, but being subserviant to another country and watching your children and seniors die of pestulance and hunger are not quite ideal.
Rather be armed, than a slave. Rather debate than be told what to think and feel.
You first three posters are so intent to demonize the press. Literally every coverage I've seen has covered the fact that this was a LGBT volunteer entering a conservative group facility. Just like in every other recent random shooting, the press immediately tries to find motive and affiliations. Why do you think this is being treated differently?
How you can say "CBS... virtually ignored it" on the comments section of the CBS headline article on it, I just don't get. Maybe the rock I live under is just too heavy, but here you are lamenting lack of coverage right below the coverage.
If you didn't notice, the Sikh temple shooting in WI got a little less coverage than the CO shooting, the TX one earlier this week got a little less than that, this one a little less further (plus it was stopped without death), and now this AM there's another one in LA, which will probably get even less, until some analyst plays the obvious polarizing gun control angle.
Pathetic on our society but true. Easier for me to believe than some vast conspiracy across the country's competing news editors to pander to the pro-gay shooter lobby.