Mom Who Threatened Church On Easter Sunday Identified As Freelance Journalist, US Navy Member
SAN DIEGO (CBSLA/AP) — A woman carrying her infant daughter and a gun who walked into a Southern California church Easter Sunday and made threats about blowing it up has been identified as a former member of the U.S. Navy and freelance digital journalist for an NBC News affiliate.
Anna Conkey, 31, was arrested Sunday following the incident at Tsidkenu Church in the Clairemont area of San Diego, according to police.
Investigators say Conkey walked into the auditorium after the non-denominational church service started and began making threats and waving a handgun. Several members of the church managed to disarm and subdue Conkey until police arrived.
Officers responding to 911 calls seized the woman and determined the gun was not loaded.
No shots were fired in the incident and the 10-month-old baby was unharmed. Both the 10-month-old baby and Conkey's 5-year-old daughter were placed in protective custody.
A post on the NBC 7 website identified Conkey as a San Diego State grad and former intern and freelance digital producer for the station, which claims to have received a report minutes prior to Sunday's incident stating "a woman claiming to be the messiah" said she "was sent to blow up the foundation of the Church".
Conkey was a Navy mass communication specialist for six years and served as a photojournalist for the USS Constitution, according to her LinkedIn profile.
A photo posted on the U.S. Navy website shows Conkey in 2009 - identified by her maiden name of Kiner - singing "Sweet Caroline" during a performance by Neil Diamond as part of a Fourth of July concert.
Her profile also claimed Conkey was a board member of San Diego's Asian-American Journalist Association (AAJA), but there was no mention of her on the AAJA website by Tuesday.
She was also active on YouTube, posting several videos on Bible studies and "prophecy", including one in which she claimed God had appointed her to deliver a message to her church in an incident a week prior to her arrest. But before she could deliver it, she was stopped and order to leave, according to reports.
Conkey is listed on a county website as ineligible for release and is scheduled to make a court appearance Wednesday.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
