Three elderly Alabama churchgoers were murdered during a ‘Boomers Potluck’ celebration, and a 70-year-old arms dealer has been named as the suspect.
Robert Findlay Smith, 70, has been charged with capital murder in the triple shooting at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church on the outskirts of Birmingham, Alabama, on Thursday.
Walter ‘Bart’ Rainey, 84, Jane Pounds, 84, and Sarah Yeager, 75, commonly known as Sharon, were among those deceased.
Authorities say Smith pulled out his concealed weapon and started shooting about an hour into the dinner.
The motive for the shooting has not been revealed. Smith claimed to have attended previous services at the church, but survivors said they didn’t identify him.
His mugshot showed him with a large black eye, which was believed to have been caused by a have-a-go-hero flying at him with a chair in an attempt to stop him from firing.
Smith is being held at the Jefferson County Jail without bond. The motive for the attack has not been uncovered by officials.
Smith’s mugshot showed him injured and beaten.
According to Captain Shane Ware of the Vestavia Hills Police Department, Smith was apprehended immediately after displaying the pistol by another attendee, church member Jim Musgrove.
Musgrove allegedly hit the guy with a chair and took the gun away from him.
‘Another attendee at the event subdued the suspect and held him down until law enforcement arrived,’ Ware said of the churchgoer’s actions.
He called the Good Samaritan a ‘hero’ who saved ‘countless lives.’
‘It was extremely critical in saving lives,’ Ware said of Musgrove’s actions. ‘In my opinion, he’s a hero.’
Police cars were observed outside of Smith’s home near Cahaba Heights, less than two miles from the shooting site, the day after the shooting, according to AL.com.
According to online records, Smith is a registered firearm dealer who operates Original Magazines 2 out of his house.
His license is up for renewal in 2025.
Smith has never been involved in a violent crime. In 2005 and 2016, he was cited twice for drunk driving.
According to the AL.com story, he was also charged with possessing a pistol while inebriated in the 2005 case.
Smith sued Samford University and Jeremy Burchfield, a police officer at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, in 2008.
Smith accused Burchfield of unfairly holding him after the suspect was discovered on campus with a gun and a badge.
Smith said in his lawsuit that Burchfield lacked evidence to charge the suspect with impersonating an officer. As a result, Smith was granted $29,000 in damages.
Smith’s attorney in the case mentioned the suspect’s guns dealer license, stating that many of his clients were law enforcement officials.
The incident, which injured another guest, occurred shortly after 6 p.m. during a meeting billed as a ‘Boomers’ Potluck.’ It was mostly attended by seniors.
Smith was in the church in Birmingham neighborhood Vestavia Hills at the time of the shooting, according to police.
He pulled out a revolver he had hidden on his person about an hour into the meal.
If convicted, Smith would be one of the country’s oldest mass shooters.
Smith had previously attended processions at the house of worship, according to authorities.
The gunman apparently concealed the weapon, a pistol, before opening fire at the potluck supper, according to police.
Vestavia Hills police disclosed certain details about the incident, such as the identities of the victims, at a news conference Friday morning, but did not reveal the name or motive for the detained suspect, who faces capital murder charges.
Mr. Smith, the suspect, was reportedly sitting alone at the function when a fellow congregant invited him to their table.
Witnesses said Smith then refused, pulling out a revolver and firing fire.
A neighbor recalled Bart Rainey for his kindness on Friday.
‘He was the nicest gentleman anyone could have met,’ Rainey’s neighbor, Brian Cocke, told AL.com Friday of the deceased.
Cocke added that Rainey and his wife, Linda, whom he had lived next door to for about four years, had been ‘absolutely wonderful neighbors.’
On social media, Cocke shared that he was ‘heartbroken’ over the loss of his friend.
‘You always hear about these things and think of how tragic the situation is, but it’s a whole different level when it turns out it was someone you knew. Just simply unbelievable.’
Addressing reporters Friday, Captain Shane Ware revealed the suspect produced the firearm about an hour into the assembly.
‘Our investigation, while ongoing, has revealed that an occasional attendee of the church that I will only identify as a white male aged 71 was at the dinner,’ Ware said.
‘At some point he produced a concealed handgun and began shooting striking the three victims.’
Rainey – known to friends as Bart – of Irondale, according to Ware, was shot and killed at the site.
The second victim, 75-year-old Yeager of Pelham, died of her injuries at neighboring University of Alabama Hospital, according to the chief. She died shortly before 9:30 p.m.
Pounds, of Hoover, was shot but lived, but succumbed to her injuries Friday afternoon, according to him.
Ware did not say how many times or where the seniors were shot, nor did he say how serious the survivor’s injuries were. All three victims were white.
Ware did not know how many people attended the supper, but Reverend Doug Carpenter, who started the church in 1973, confirmed that there were roughly 25 attendance.
Carpenter said that none of the attendees knew the suspect, who referred to himself as Mr. Smith and said that he was a former member of the church.
‘We’re trying to figure out who he is,’ the reverend told AL.com.
Police Friday said the suspect’s identity would likely be revealed later in the day, after warrants are signed.
The chief, however, did allude that the suspect may have already been known to police when questioned on the matter by a reporter.
‘Any past interactions involving this suspect are currently being investigated by numerous agencies. It would be premature to go into this topic,’ Ware said.
He added that the suspect had ‘previously attended services at this church, but as far as the motive behind this event, they are being looked into by multiple agencies.’
He said ‘it would be inappropriate for me to comment’ further on the matter while it was still being investigated.
He refused to say whether the suspect’s weapon was obtained legitimately.
According to Ware, the suspect is being held in the Vestavia Hills city jail on capital murder charges.
According to authorities, the gunfire began shortly after 6 p.m. in the 39,000-strong town.
On Thursday night, multiple law enforcement agencies and fire departments were on the site.
The congregation was inside the church when the shooting began, according to the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama’s Rev. Kelley Hudlow.
‘There were folks at church. There has been a shooting, and there are folks that have been injured,’ she said.
‘We are working to get more information, to take care of the people who were there..
‘We are praying for healing and safety for all of those who have been impacted and affected.
‘We are praying for everyone involved and we are trying to get as much information about what happened as we can get.’
Hudlow said it was ‘a scary thing’.
She urged the community to ‘do what this community is really good at – and that’s coming together, through prayers and thoughts and anything else.’
On Thursday night well-wishers gathered in the parking lot of the church, holding hands in a prayer circle.
‘What you are seeing is hope, folks,’ said Jonathan Hardison, WBRC anchor.
‘You are seeing healing, with those folks standing together.’