GARDEN GROVE, Calif,, Feb. 18, 2009
Man Kills Self At Calif. Mega-Church
Tour Guide Was Discussing Suicide Prevention At Crystal Cathedral When Man Shot Himself In Front Of Cross
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A coroner's van drives away from televangelist Robert H. Schuller's Crystal Cathedral with the body of an apparent suicide victim in Garden Grove, Calif., Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2009. A church spokesman said a man shot and killed himself before a cross in the cathedral. (AP Photo/Mark Avery)
The man entered about 9:45 a.m., handed a note and his driver's license to two ushers, walked to the cross and then shot himself in the head as he appeared to be praying, said Senior Pastor Juan Carlos Ortiz.
The man used a semiautomatic handgun, said police Lt. Dennis Ellsworth.
The Orange County coroner's office identified the man as Steve Smick, 48. Church spokesman Mike Nason said there was no record of Smick being a member at the cathedral.
Seven or eight tourists were inside the cathedral and witnessed the shooting, Ortiz said.
Volunteer ushers Betty Spicer, 84, and Yvette Manson, 76, recounted the incident.
"The gentleman came in and I greeted him and said, 'Good morning, welcome to the Crystal Cathedral, where are you from?"' Spicer said. "And he said, 'Oh around here.' And then he handed me a note folded over with two cards inside and said, 'You may want this,' and he walked down the aisle hurriedly and he went to the foot of the cross. I thought he was praying."
Spicer said she opened the note and saw that one of the cards was a driver's license.
"I hardly remember the note except he said something about a pickup truck out in the parking lot - I guess from a friend, he borrowed it. And next thing we knew there was a pop and I stayed at the door. I didn't realize it. I thought he was praying," she said.
Manson said she was giving a tour and had her back to the man.
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"I had just finished telling them about our intervention hotline that we have, suicide prevention on the fifth floor, and all of a sudden I heard this pop, a loud pop, it almost sounded like a firecracker," she said.
I had just finished telling them about our intervention hotline that we have, suicide prevention on the fifth floor, and all of a sudden I heard this pop, a loud pop, it almost sounded like a firecracker.
Yvette Manson, volunteer tour guideAt first she thought it was one of the cathedral's glass windows shattering.
A tourist facing Smick instead told her that a man had shot himself.
After the shooting, police could be seen through the cathedral's glass doors investigating the scene and taking photographs before the body was removed. They also searched his pickup truck, Ellsworth said.
Cathedral spokesman John Charles said none of the tourists, who were from Canada, were injured. They left the scene about an hour after the shooting after being interviewed by police.
The shimmering, glass-walled megachurch in Orange County is home to the "Hour of Power" broadcast, an evangelism staple that has been on the air worldwide for more than three decades.
The main sanctuary of the 10,000-member church, the Crystal Cathedral, is a landmark designed by renowned architect Philip Johnson. Thousands make the pilgrimage to see where the broadcast is filmed before a live congregation.
There have been two other shootings at the church in recent years.
In December 2004, Crystal Cathedral Orchestra conductor Johnnie Carl, 57, killed himself at the complex after a standoff that began when he opened fire in offices before a Christmas pageant. He had been hospitalized for severe depression.
Also that year, a man was wounded by a plainclothes police officer in the cathedral parking lot. Authorities said the man was meeting his mother but the officer didn't know they were related and intervened in what he thought was an argument.
© MMIX The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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- i agree with irmcvet. people are not blaming god for anything. they are tired of religion. for those who cannot separate god from religion, that sort of sucks. religion is man made.
- Reply to this comment
- Suicide in front of a church. Suicides in the military.
Considering the divorce rate, the economy,and the environment there is a strong possibility that we will have more stories of people that feel they have no way out but suicide. Ironic how one of the most important "lifestyle" issues is one that can't be discussed.
Ya got to ask yourself, if nobody is actually going to discuss the topic, why are there over 360 posts on this particular blog? - Reply to this comment
- I thank God every time a born again preacher or politician falls or a mega church business or televangelist program fails. The idols need to fall America and that includes these hateful hypocrits who've been running the show all too long.
- Reply to this comment
- LOL..........brimming with confidence huh!? In the national stimulus I loved the H.Reid "Highspeed rail from LA to Vegas"...............now that is where our tax dollars should go..........LOL..........just shoot me!
Posted by Indptex at 07:08 PM : Feb 19, 2009
So you don't think this nation needs High Speed Rails AND the jobs necessary to build them? Just how far do we fall? How much of the nation has to fall apart? You don't have to believe anyone about how bad our infrastructure has become after 3 decades of Trickle Down. Just get in your car and drive. I'm willing to bet you won't get a mile before you spot a Bridge fall down or a road that's impassable. Lets face is friend the Republican Party and Trickle Down has been and will always be a Complete and Total FAILURE. Now shouldn't we be taking another path? - Reply to this comment
- No, the anti-God crowd are not only blinded by their hate, their minds are muddled and their conclusions cracked.
Posted by Prelgovisk at 06:06 AM : Feb 20, 2009
You don't get out much do YOU? People aren't "blaming God" you poor small minded creature. People are FED UP with Hypocrites telling THEM how to live. They are tied of these "Mega" Churches taking MILLIONS and MILLIONS of Tax Dollars to INCREASE sales of their BRAND of Religion and to built Churches costing BILLIONS! Time to wake up my friend! - Reply to this comment
- So, a man who never wnet to the church before walks in and shoots himself...and some of the commentators below blame God.
If this is so...then if a man jumps off the Golden Gate Bridge...it must by the Goverment who is responsible. Or a man Jumps off of the Sears tower...so is Sears the cause of his death and would eliminating Sears solve the problem?
No, the anti-God crowd are not only blinded by their hate, their minds are muddled and their conclusions cracked. - Reply to this comment
- New suicide prevention policy - metal detectors at the entrance.
- Reply to this comment
- hahaha....Suicide in the Crystal Comic Book Cathedral! I wonder if they'll air it on the next "Tower of Power" broadcast as part of their suicide prevention plan. God must have been taking the day off.....again.
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- talk about having a bad day and the blame game...have heard through the grapevine this church leader is a little crooked might be something to it...
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- Yeah, it's a drag this guy just couldn't pull it together enought to realized that, with everything else going on in his life, he was still blessed.
But...
...it's cool to see people "dishing" about food! I do a weekend radio show and we talk alot about food. The squirrel story reminded me of when my Dad cam to visit me in Boise. I was complaining to him that the squirrels were eating my garden.
"Red Squirrels?" he asked.
"Yup!"
I remember him saying with a grin, "Let'em eat your garden if they want. They're DELICIOUS!"
I never got a chance to find out but I'd like to! I've had everything else from gator and bear to venison and mountain lion. (tastes "pissy")
Oh yeah...rest in peace, buddy. - Reply to this comment
- Posted by mdalerwill
Take care Will. - Reply to this comment
- Got a cold. Going to bed. See ya tomorrow, Indptex.
- Reply to this comment
- LOL..........brimming with confidence huh!? In the national stimulus I loved the H.Reid "Highspeed rail from LA to Vegas"...............now that is where our tax dollars should go..........LOL..........just shoot me!
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Posted by Indptex at 07:08 PM : Feb 19, 2009
The national plan is a HUGE disappointment. There is stuff in that bill that just doesn't have anything to do with the economy. All the stuff might be good ideas, but we don't have funds for nice extras right now. The infrastructure portion is a JOKE; it's for shelf-ready projects only. I don't know any agencies that would spend the months (even years) doing environmental (which can expire) and design if the project doesn't already have construction funding attached. Hey, here's money you don't need for projects you already have funded. You can't use the money for anything else, though. Have a nice day. - Reply to this comment
- ...only to have a huge crack appear after he walks away?
Posted by mdalerwill
LOL..........brimming with confidence huh!? In the national stimulus I loved the H.Reid "Highspeed rail from LA to Vegas"...............now that is where our tax dollars should go..........LOL..........just shoot me! - Reply to this comment
- Tell me, what do you think about the package your legislature put together out there on the left coast?
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Posted by Indptex at 06:57 PM : Feb 19, 2009
Did you ever see the tv commercial (I forget what it was selling) where a guy walking along a dam finds a small leak and plugs it with chewing gum...only to have a huge crack appear after he walks away? - Reply to this comment
- It just figures I would be busy busy busy on a day with a story this heavy on the irony.
Posted by mdalerwill
Don't 'cha hate it when work gets in the way of fun!?
Tell me, what do you think about the package your legislature put together out there on the left coast? - Reply to this comment
- We really missed having you around earlier today Will..........HowTheHellAreYou?
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Posted by Indptex at 06:53 PM : Feb 19, 2009
It just figures I would be busy busy busy on a day with a story this heavy on the irony. - Reply to this comment
- The irony was probably too much to pass up. Plus, most people either don''t want to know anything about suicide or they think they know all they need to because of the myths floating around.
Posted by mdalerwill
We really missed having you around earlier today Will..........HowTheHellAreYou? - Reply to this comment
- Wow, an entire blog dedicated to dancing around the issue of suicide. Mortality, it is a byotch. Guess it''s just easier to joke about than discuss.
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Posted by wl7bzh at 06:34 PM : Feb 19, 2009
The irony was probably too much to pass up. Plus, most people either don't want to know anything about suicide or they think they know all they need to because of the myths floating around. - Reply to this comment
- Wow, an entire blog dedicated to dancing around the issue of suicide. Mortality, it is a byotch. Guess it's just easier to joke about than discuss.
- Reply to this comment
