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US police look for shooting links Police link Colorado gun attacks
(1 day later)
Police in the US state of Colorado are looking into possible links between the shootings at two Christian centres on Sunday, which left five people dead. US police say they believe the same man carried out two fatal shootings at religious sites in Colorado on Sunday.
They said they had "reason to believe" the gunman shot dead after opening fire at a church in Colorado Springs earlier attacked a missionary centre in Denver. They have named him as Matthew Murray, 24, from Denver, who failed to complete a missionary training course at one of the sites, in a suburb of the city.
The gunman in the first incident fled after shooting dead two people. The training centre has an office at the other site, a megachurch in Colorado Springs.
In both cases, the attacker was described by witnesses as a white man in his 20s wearing black clothing. Five people were killed in the attacks, including the gunman himself. His family has apologised.
The missionary organisation targeted in the first incident is also reported to have had a small office in the church that was attacked only 12 hours later. The first two to die were Tiffany Johnson, 26, and Philip Crouse, 24. Two other men were wounded. They were attacked after midnight at the Youth With A Mission training centre in the Denver suburb of Arvada.
The attacks came just four days after a 19-year-old man killed eight people and himself at a busy shopping centre in Omaha, Nebraska. The centre said Mr Murray had begun a training programme there in 2002 but left without completing it for unspecified health reasons.
'Many lives saved' It seemed like it was me, the gunman and God Jeanne AssamVolunteer security guard
The first shooting happened just after midnight, local time, at a dormitory in the Youth With a Mission centre, in Arvada, a western suburb of Denver. The second attack took place 105km (65m) away and 12 hours later at the New Life Church in Colorado Springs.
Although we are grieving today for the loss of two lives, hundreds of lives were saved yesterday because of the plans that were set in place Pastor Brady BoydNew Life Church The gunman opened fire in the car park and then walked into the huge church as the 7,000-strong congregation was filing out.
Tiffany Johnson, 26, and Philip Crouse, 23, were killed and two men aged 22 and 23 were wounded, the police said in a statement. Sisters Stephanie and Rachel Works, aged 18 and 16, were killed before Mr Murray himself was shot dead by volunteer security guard Jeanne Assam, an ex-policewoman.
The later shooting in Colorado Springs, 65 miles (105km) from the state capital, occurred at the New Life Church, an evangelical congregation with over 10,000 members. "It seemed like it was me, the gunman and God," she told a news conference later.
The gunman killed two teenage sisters - Rachel Works, 16, and Stephanie Works, 18 - and wounded four others, including their father, before being shot dead by "a courageous security staff member who probably saved many lives", police said. Hatred
Pastor Brady Boyd also praised the security guard and said the security at his church had been stepped up after the news of the shooting in Denver. Pastor Brady Boyd praised the security guard, and said security at his church had been stepped up after the news of the shooting in Denver.
"Although we are grieving today for the loss of two lives, hundreds of lives were saved yesterday because of the plans that were set in place," he told reporters."Although we are grieving today for the loss of two lives, hundreds of lives were saved yesterday because of the plans that were set in place," he told reporters.
House searched Mr Murray did not have a criminal record but "hated Christians", one unnamed law enforcement official told the Associated Press news agency.
Unconfirmed reports in local media identified the dead gunmen as Matthey Murray, a 24-year-old from Englewood, a southern suburb of Denver. He is said to come from a deeply Christian family. His father is reported to be a leading researcher into the disease multiple sclerosis.
Police raided a house in the Denver suburb of Englewood on Monday Mr Murray's relatives issued a statement of apology.
One unnamed law enforcement official told the Associated Press that Murray had been responsible for both attacks. "Our family cannot express the magnitude of our grief for the victims and families of this tragedy. On behalf of our family, and our son, we ask for forgiveness," it said.
He did not have a criminal record but "hated Christians", the official added. "We cannot understand why this has happened."
Earlier on Monday, police confirmed they had searched a home in Englewood as part of their investigation into the two shootings. The attacks came just four days after a 19-year-old man killed eight people and himself at a busy shopping centre in Omaha, Nebraska.
"Given the circumstances, I think it is a good possibility that the two are linked, but we have to prove that they are," Arvada Deputy Police Chief Gary Creagor said.
At a news conference on Sunday, Mr Creagor's commander, Don Wick, also said there was a "reason to believe" there was a link between the two shootings but said his force would continue to follow all leads.