E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSThe gunman was subdued after shooting a security guard in the arm in the offices of the conservative lobbying group. NBC's Brian Williams reports.
Updated at 6:45 p.m. ET: A gunman who shot a security guard Wednesday at the Family Research Council office in Washington, D.C., was carrying a handgun and several additional rounds of ammunition, federal investigators told NBC News.
Washington, D.C., police say the man walked into the headquarters of the conservative Christian lobbying group around 10:45 a.m. When challenged by the security guard, the gunman shot the guard in the arm with a Sig Sauer 9 mm handgun he pulled from a backpack.
The wounded guard, identified as Leo Johnson, wrestled the gun away from the shooter and prevented him from hurting anyone else, police said.
The suspect was then detained by other guards, and both district police and the FBI responded. He was taken into custody by FBI agents. The FBI will have jurisdiction if the incident turns out to be a hate crime.
Kevin Lamarque / Reuters
Members of the FBI enter the Family Research Council office after a shooting Wednesday in Washington, D.C.
See the story at NBCWashington.com
The suspect’s name has not been released, but two law enforcement officials told NBC News he is Floyd Corkins, 28, from nearby Herndon, Va.
Federal officials said the suspect the backpack also contained materials about Chick-fil-A restaurants.
Another official said the suspect bought the gun used in the shooting five days ago.
The FBI said the security guard is being treated in the hospital and "doing OK."
“The security officer here is a hero, as far as I’m concerned,” Metropolitan Police Department Chief Cathy Lanier told NBCWashington.com. “He did his job. The person never made it past farther than the front door.”
An armed man walked into the Washington headquarters of the Family Research Council and shot a security guard, according to authorities. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.
Jacqueline Maguire, FBI Washington Field Office spokeswoman, also called the guard "a hero."
"And he did an excellent job of stopping the gunman from getting any further into the building and from anyone else getting injured or shot by him," she said.
One law enforcement official told NBC News it's fairly clear the Family Research Council was the man's target, though the FBI has yet to specify either a motive or the target of the attack.
The Associated Press reported that Corkins had been volunteering at a community center for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. Another official told the AP the shooter made a negative reference about the work of the Family Research Council before opening fire.
Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council sent an e-mail to members last month in support of comments by the restaurant chain's president, Dan Cathy, who criticized same-sex marriage.
The comments touched off a public clash. Supporters on "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day" on Aug. 1 flooded the chain's franchises around the country and was countered with "kiss-ins" by same-sex couples at assorted locations Aug. 3.
On its website, the Family Research Council founded in 1983, says it advocates "faith, family and freedom in public policy and public opinion" and other issues. It lobbies against gay rights, abortion and embryonic stem cell research.
In a statement, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said, "The police are investigating this incident. Our first concern is with our colleague who was shot today. Our concern is for him and his family."
Thirty-four gay rights groups issued a joint statement condemning the shooting:
"We were saddened to hear news of the shooting this morning at the offices of the Family Research Council. Our hearts go out to the shooting victim, his family, and his co-workers. The motivation and circumstances behind today's tragedy are still unknown, but regardless of what emerges as the reason for this shooting, we utterly reject and condemn such violence. We wish for a swift and complete recovery for the victim of this terrible incident."
White House spokesman Jay Carney said the president, who was traveling in Iowa Wednesday, was informed of the shooting shortly after 1 p.m.
"The president expressed his concern for the individual injured in the shooting and his strong belief that this type of violence has no place in our society," Carney said.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said in a statement that he was appalled. "There is no place for such violence in our society," he said. "My prayers go out to the wounded security guard and his family, as well as all the people at the Family Research Council whose sense of security has been shattered by today's horrific events."
This story includes reporting by NBC News' Andrew Mach and The Associated Press.
More content from NBCNews.com:
- Drought sends Mississippi River into 'uncharted territory'
- 'Crazy': Dozens of dead birds fall from the sky in New Jersey
- Drought expected to take toll at checkout
- US government weighs using blimps at Mexico border
- Video: Wildfires spread in California foothills
- Cops: Man steals pot from police because 'it smelled so good'
Follow US News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook
Leave a Comment:
Liberals never let a tragedy like this go by without spewing their hate and bile. If you ever wondered why so many people on the right as well as the middle dislike and distrust you libs just go back and read some of the odious and rank posts listed previously. It’s amazing and sickening at the same time how you can justify your hate and your disrespect for common human decency and still claim to be the enlightened and tolerant ones on the political scene. You’re a bunch of insecure hate filled little people and each one of you is worse than the other.
I'm glad you demonstrated to all of us the meaning of being "enlightened and tolerant" of others!
Listen to Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, or Ann Coulter lately? They spew hate better than any liberal ever could.
We are "little" people because...we dont make as much money as you?
Predictable. Leftist gets attacked it's a conservative's fault. Conservative gets attacked by a leftist it's the conservative's fault.
Yup. That's liberals for you.
We dont think these Colorado shooter was a lefty, a right wing gun lover, same for all the shooters, all right wing nuts like the guy in Norway, a Reagan man.
VATech shooter - registered Dem.
Arizona shooter - Self-described communist
Aurora shooter - TBD
Today's hero - we can guess.
I don't think anybody in Norway voted for Reagan. They aren't registered to vote in the US. If they did then we have all the evidence we need for voter ID laws.
People on all sides of the political spectrum need to dial back the rhetoric and stop the hate. We can disagree with one another without resorting to insults and violence.
OMG! It's a mentally disturbed person! It's not a left-wing extremist? Why not the jump to the guy's ideology considering he had Chick-Fil-A related materials in his backpack? Oh, that's only when a liberal/ progressive, left-wing organization/person/issue is targeted. I see...the media is not in any fashion biased when "reporting", correct? There are none so blind than they who will not see.
Democrats have always enslaved Black people; first with actual slavery; then with generational welfare dependence that replaced the Black Father; destroying the Black nuclear family; leading to wilding black youths and genocidal rates of black on black homicides
Bingo.
Well... what happened to tolerance?! Guess their intolerance and bigotry finally won out and they are now trying to gun the Christians down. Sad.
Who are "they." I see one guy involved here, with unknown motivations.
jock the same mysterious "they" the left is always blaming for everything. "They" are trying to force the poor lefty to do something even thought the government is in control of the left.
It is time to require that people carry firearms. Obama has destroyed the moral fiber of the country and the people must protect themselves from the Democrat drug gangs!
Given your name looks like you are an illegal Pedro, go home
Then take a gun to your job at McDonalds and see what that conservative boss says
BIGOT Alerts!!!!!!!!!
joe biden is responsible for blacks committing violence against white republicans for his slavery comment yesterday.
....the new black panther party is saying to kill white republicans " anywhere you see them" a the republican national convention in tampa
joe biden words are inflaming blacks to try to kill whites, conservatives, and republican party members.
you are better then that Keck...
You know very well how ridiculous that suggestion is.
it's true; dems dont care how much the country is divided as long as they get to retain power
michelle williams, "new black panther 'chief executive' has ordered the deaths of "white republicans" and "tea party members" at the republican convention in tampa
.....the new black panthers are talking about "skinning white people alive" 8/15/2012
you think i am making this up B-dune ? (then why is it online ?.....how can i make these comments up ? hmmm ?)
How many people are in the "New Black Panthers"? Yes, they are bad, but that wasn't the part of your comment we are crticizing.
...i think biden should be very careful about what he says that republicans....white republicans....."will do to blacks if they get elected"
we need to be real careful.....i dont want to die because of what that imbecile tell blacks "whitey gonna chain you up" bullsh!t
(i dont think democrats quite yet understand the repercussions of bidens slavery comment)
Are yuo equally scared about divisive comments coming from the right?
i have never been a slave
....my family has never been a slave
.....there is no threat that democrats are going to make me a "chained slave" if obama is re-elected
have you ever been around rioting blacks that hold any and all whites responsible for their problems ?
i will not be a 'regginold denny'
i will not be personally responsible for hurricane katrina
i will not be personally responsible for trayvon martin
you see where this is going...
...the vice president should not be saying things that inflame race relations at this point.
Jock where I used to live you could buy a hit for $50. Now even if the NBP is 2 guys in a storefront office if they say it someone might do it. And they better have the money when the guy comes to collect or the people I used to know will kill them too.
Keck #279.4
Let's be clear - I never said you "made anything up"....and quite frankly I don't like you putting words in my mouth!
You are better then that as well!
Reminds me of Sister Sarah, the repuke nutcase who put bullseyes on her opponents heads, possibly hoping that one of her mentally deranged right wing radical cracked teanut dopes eho listened listened to her lies would take them out. It happened in Arizona with Jared Loughner.
loughner is a liberal. next idiotic item loser
you do know the "crosshair target" was started by democratic strategist Bob Beckel in 1996.
and the arizona shooter , jared loughner, was a registered democrat in 2008 according to pima county.
.
.
the violence in america is being committed by left wing folks that clearly want to kill americans
DumbRepukeDunce and Kroc: Lougher was found to be a follower of right wing nazi Glen Beck. They both followed Mein Kampf, the bible of the right wing nuts. He was also a follower of Sarah Palin, so you know he was nuts.
Hey Keck, I'm a registered republican.
sorry.
loughner was a registered democrat.
..he shot giffords because she was not liberal enough.
everyone knows but you jim....you should just not talk about it if you cant accept jared was a liberal democrat.
NAZIS were Socialists, National Socialist but socialists just the same. you know like your hate-filled loser azz is james
Loughner was schizophrenic and barely able to function. The fact that he was a registered Democrat doesn;t seem very relevant.
But yes, James Dolan is nuts as well.
Nazis were not "socialist" in the way you want to mean. After jews, the first people they killed were trade unionists and communists.
No actually the 1.8 million Polish people were in there too including 2935 priests the NAZI's killed.
God bless the officer that got shoot, and god speed on his recovery.
To the left, this guy is a "hero".
So, liberals. Don't give me that crap that this guy was just "another" sick lunatic.
If he was a "right-wing radical", you'd be telling us all, "See, the tebaggers are at it again".
The problem seems to be extremists with guns.
And your first sentence is too shameful for response.
So, now you are assigning heroes?
When you have repuke nuts around like this, you have to expect people to rise up.
The true goals of the radical cracked teanuts.
Can you imagine what might have happened if the Pope's boy Sanitarium or lyin Ryan became president, or even V.P. under lyin Willardo, the tax evader, of the right wing radical cracked teanuts, the gay, rapist, pedophile catholic priests and the braindead evangelical nuts thatlisten to them. Men will no longer have to purchase condoms, as they will no longer be allowed in this country. All mens sperm must be used to create babies. Cameras will be in every bedroom. Catholic priests don't have to worry however, because, according to the testimony of former raped little boys, they don't use them.
The Pope's first order to his boy would be to release all catholic rapist pediophile priests from prison as the Pope is running out of people to continue the process of shearing his sheep. He is running out of collection pot fillers. After all, he needs the money to fight off all of the lawsuits against the church worldwide.
His second order to RickyDickyDo would be to move the White House to Vatican City.
Your own hate is not helping the situation.
gotta love a left-wing loser mindlessly spewing hatred in the name of tolerance. what a moron you are james
DividedBrain:
Isn't yo mammy calling you boy. Yo roadkill possum is almost cooked up. Duncebrain, it is time to go back home to yo mammy's shack, sit out on the back porch on yo one legged rocker, put yo corn cob pipe in yo toothless mouth, stick a plug o Red Man up yo axx, strum yo washbaord and make sure yo daddy's moonshine don't overcook.
If you hurry, you can still make tonight's Klan meetin' where yo toothless buddies and the rest of yo braindead repuke dunces will be discussin' the latest advances in anthrax spreadin.
Maybe tomorrow, you can take yo toothless braindead buddies like Kroc and attack some abortion clinic.
i love an idiot like you james; about to stroke out over your own inner hatred lol!
Actually the rate of executions are way down. There are so many appeals processes that you are more likely to die in prison after this crime than to be executed. Plus there haven't been any public executions in America for quiet sometime. Our current deterants aren't that good because no one really sees the consequences until it is first hand.
loughner who shot the Dem congresswoman; and Holmes the Batman movie murderer; are both Democrats. next point please idiot james dolan!
DividedBrain and Kroc: Lougher was found to be a follower of right wing nazi Glen Beck. They both followed Mein Kampf, the bible of the right wing nuts. He was also a follower of Sarah Palin, so you know he was nuts.
Next point repuke dope.
The nut who shot the people in AZ was an avid follower of the NRA and the repuke dunces that back it. He was probably afraid that Batman would take his guns away.
lol this leftard is about to BLOW!!!
This one is just a godsend for the NRA. Sell a gun to a crazy guy of any political stripe and business is bound to trend upward. You have to hand it to them, every crime is an advertisement for their products.
I'm all for punishing people for doing bad things, but this hate crime rubbish is a bunch of bull@!$%#! It all started with the kykes and faggs, they all think they are so special!
Obviously hate is flourishing.
Funny they don't run daily stories like soldier shoots another soldier during an offensive. Or, a police officer shot a criminal committing a crime today. Not enough room in the paper for all that. Also interesting that "some official" already knew the gun was purchased 5 days ago...without even an investigation or trial, he already knew that. That's about as logical as the guy on 911 who instantly knew a plane hit, and that buildings fall down when a plane strikes them (cause, ah, its never happened?).
I don't give a damn what story the unconstitutional Congress and their puppet president tries to do e.g. the gun laws. You want my guns and those of millions of other law-abiding Americans? Come try and take them then. I'll be sitting on my porch with my guns and my money (what's left anyway)...you keep the change!
WOW! I couldn't have said it better. God bless you sir.
Darn he lived?
Ted Nuggent was a draft dodger like Romney?
So if they label this a "hate crime" does this mean that conservatives will be barred from the social freedoms and access that gay people are denied?
Sweet!
Pass a new law and everything will stop and go away. What fools. To many guns on the street to ever controll. Drugs are against the law and how well is that working? Deal with the fact there are guns out there or go crawl and hide under a rock.
Be funny if some nut kills your family.
Obviously this incidence exemplifies the liberals' tolerance agenda...
Too bad the shooter didn't make it past the security guard. Better luck next time. Should have sent a white guy.
Needs more training and a list of locations like Fox News and the EIB net ? lol
a black man killed malcom x. probably farakhan
And your point is what, body odor?
Seems this liberal needs shooting lessons so next time he strikes true and he should have had an AR15 with grenades and more ammunition.
Funny, the security guard didnt kill the guy, so much for that theory if i had a gun..
moron; you dont kill if you dont have to; doesnt mean that guns arent necessary
FRC security guards oae only allowed to pray the bad guys away.
Having one of your bullets penetrate another man is a sin.
As more and more people hit the end of their rope or deal with mental problems, this will become more and more prevalent.
We're all looking for a target. Some want to clean things up, others, destroy.
I don't know why, but I am so surprised by the hate on this site. I can't tolerate violence/hate from either the left or the right. Come on people - be civil.
sasan,
BALONEY!!! You wouldn't be so tolerant if this guy was a "mean, disgusting, rotten" right winger. Would you?
Stop the phony crap!!!
Ironic though that a hate group like the FRC should be the target of a hate crime, isn't it?
If they are supporting Chic-fil-A, that could change things.
Shrekk, so having a Christian opinion on marriage makes them a hate group?
No, lobbying against the civil rights of gays is what makes them a hate group.....as does their desire to criminalize homosexuality, their support for Uganda's "Kill the Gays" bill, the demonization and disinformation they spread about gays, as well as their attempt to suppress the 1st Amendment rights of Muslims.
Also, you seem to have confused being a Christian with being a dumb bigot. Most Christians don't share the hateful views of the FRC. But given that the FRC has very close ties to the SBC (which was founded on white supremacy), it's no surprise that they think some Americans should be 2nd-class citizens.