Colorado Shooter Was Kicked Out of Mission

A 24-year-old Colorado man who was homeschooled in a "very religious" family has been identified as the shooter who killed four people Sunday at two locations associated with the Youth With a Mission (YWAM) program. Authorities said that Matthew Murray had been kicked out of the YWAM training program and had been sending hate mail to its directors.

According to court papers, Murray went to the YWAM training center in Arvada, Colorado at 12:30 a.m. and asked if he could spend the night. When he was turned away, he opened fire with a handgun killing Tiffany Johnson, 26, and Philip Crouse, 24, and wounding two others.

Police said that 12 hours later, Murray showed up at the New Life Church in Colorado Springs where YWAM has a mission office. He arrived just as 7,000 members of the congregation were about to leave after services. He shot and killed sisters Stephanie Works, 18, and Rachel Works, 16, and wounded their father in the parking lot.

Increasingly Withdrawn, Bitter

Murray then proceeded inside the church with a high-powered rifle and two handguns. There he was confronted by Jeanne Assam, a volunteer security guard for the church. "I did not run away, and I didn't think for a minute to run away," Assam told reporters. "I was given the assignment to end this before it got too much worse."

Investigators were not certain if the victims were specifically targeted, but the two sisters who were shot at New Life Church were frequent visitors to the YWAM training center in Arvada.

Youth With a Mission officials said Murray did not complete the 12-week training program because of "issues related to his health." After Murray left the program he became increasingly withdrawn and bitter toward the organization.

See Also:
Colo. Church Gunman Had Been Kicked Out
'Me, the Gunman and God'
Victims Came From Family of Faith
^{Photo: Clipart.com}