A List of Active Killer Incidents at Houses of Worship and Religious Schools

Some people in leadership at churches still question why it’s necessary to have an armed and trained church security/safety team as part of their dedicated ministry efforts. The following list should be reason enough:

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•  Clarke County, Alabama, Oct. 27, 2025
The FBI and local law enforcement arrested a 33-year-old man with a suitcase full of ammunition and body armor, stopping a credible plan to attack multiple Jewish synagogues across Alabama and surrounding states.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Analyzing Active Threat Response Models: A Comparative Study ]

•  Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, Washington, DC, Oct. 5, 2025
A 41-year-old New Jersey man—found to have 200 explosive devices in his possession—was arrested and charged with unlawful entry, threats to kidnap or injure a person, and possession of a Molotov cocktail outside this Catholic church ahead of the high-profile annual Red Mass meant to mark the start of the Supreme Court term. No justice attended this year’s event.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, The Swiss Guard: Early Church Security Team ]

•  Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, Manchester, UK, Oct. 1, 2025 (Yom Kippur)
A man, wearing a vest that looked like an “explosive device,” used his car and knife in an attack outside a synagogue on the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, killing two people and injuring four others. The attacker was prevented from entering the synagogue by worshippers, security staff, and police.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Criminals and Terrorists Overwhelmingly Select Gun-Free Zones For Mass Attacks in Public Spaces ]

•  Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, Sept. 28, 2025
A 40-year-old man (US Marine Corps veteran) rammed his truck into the meetinghouse and began shooting. He then set the building ablaze before he was killed in a shootout with police. Four people died and eight others were injured. The congregation did not have a dedicated security team. (Also see Wikipedia’s List of Attacks Against Latter-Day Saint Churches.)

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Tactical Training for Individuals and Church Security Teams to Thwart Active Violence Incidents ]

•  Annunciation Catholic Church and School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Aug. 27, 2025
A former male student at the Minneapolis Catholic school, identifying as female, fatally shot two people and wounded 21 others during a back-to-school Mass. A church security team was not present.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Security Lessons from Church of the Annunciation Attack ]

•  Richmond Road Baptist Church, Lexington, Kentucky, July 13, 2025
A Kentucky man fled a traffic stop and shot a state trooper before driving a stolen car to the church and opening fire, killing two people and wounding two others. Police said he’d come to the church looking for the mother of his children.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Chart: The Spectrum of Potential Threat Personas in Self-Defense and Church Security ]

•  Manantial de Vida Church, Naples, Florida, July 6, 2025
A 23-year-old man threatened parishioners while being armed and carrying 60 rounds of ammunition in three magazines, making “strange and concerning” statements about mass shootings and being a “trained killer.” He was arrested without injuring anyone.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Stopped: Armed Man Threatening Mass Shooting in a Naples, Florida Church ]

•  CrossPointe Community Church, Wayne, Michigan, June 22, 2025
A deacon in his pickup truck and armed church security volunteers stopped a heavily armed 31-year-old man wearing camouflage clothing and a ballistic tactical vest advancing and shooting in the church parking lot before he could reach the 150 men, women, and children inside. The attacker did not have a criminal history. His mother is a member of the church.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Church Active Shooter Prevention Saves Lives in Wayne, MI ]

•  Abundant Life Christian School, Madison, Wisconsin, Dec. 16, 2024
A 15-year-old female student at the school, armed with two pistols, killed a teacher and a student and injured six others before committing suicide. Twenty-one shell casings were recovered at the scene. The school did not have a security team.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Practical Situational Awareness Training: Prepare for the Ambush ]

•  Jesus’ Dwelling Place Church, North Braddock, Pennsylvania, May 5, 2024
A man attempted to shoot the pastor during a livestreamed service. His gun failed to fire. In that moment, a deacon tackled him and held him for the police.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Church Security: How to Identify 25 Common Mental Health Behaviors ]

•  Lakewood Church, Houston, Texas, Feb. 11, 2024
A woman—who had in the past used both male and female aliases—wielded a rifle and opened fire in Joel Osteen’s megachurch, wounding one. She subsequently died in a shootout with armed security guards. Investigators later found antisemitic writings and noted she was undergoing a custody battle with her ex-husband.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Church Security Armament Recommendations By Tom Givens, John Correia, and 6 Other Professionals ]

•  The Covenant School, Nashville, Tennessee, March 27, 2023
A female former student, identifying as male, killed six people. The murderer also fired seven shots into one of the school’s stained glass windows depicting Adam and Eve.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Church Security Review: House of Worship Firearms and Use of Force Policy ]

•  St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Vestavia Hills, Alabama, June 16, 2022
A man shot and killed three people during a potluck dinner; his motive is unclear.

[ Read SemperVerus articles on the topic of SITUATIONAL AWARENESS ]

•  Geneva Presbyterian Church, Laguna Woods, California, May 15, 2022
A man fatally shot one person and wounded five others. Authorities said it was a hate-driven attack on the Taiwanese congregation.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, A Prayer for Church Security Team Members ]

•  The Church in Sacramento, Sacramento, California, Feb. 28, 2022
A man shot and killed his three children, a chaperone, and himself during a supervised visit at the church.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, 2025 Edition of Hostility Against Churches Report Shows 415 US Attacks in 2024 ]

•  Congregation Beth Israel synagogue, Colleyville, Texas, January 15, 2022
A 44-year-old British Pakistani armed with a pistol took four people hostage. Tactical officers from the FBI Hostage Rescue Team fatally shot him.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Counterterrorism Guide: Situational Awareness to Hinder An Attack ]

•  Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, DC, Dec. 10, 2019
A man rammed a female unarmed security guard with his SUV in the basilica’s parking lot, then chased a male unarmed security guard before stabbing him multiple times inside the shrine. Police captured the attacker after he fled the scene.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Self-Defense In Spiritual Warfare: Know Your Enemies ]

•  West Freeway Church of Christ, White Settlement, Texas, Dec. 29, 2019
A man with a history of violence and mental illness fatally shot two congregants. He was subsequently killed by an armed volunteer security guard.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Church Shooting Analysis Reports ]

•  Chabad of Poway synagogue, Poway, California, April 27, 2019
A man who espoused hateful views against Jews and Muslims shot four people, one of them fatally.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Benefit From the Church Emergency Response Network ]

•  Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre, Christchurch, New Zealand, March 15, 2019
A 28-year-old Australian man killed 51 people and injured 89 others. He was arrested after his vehicle was rammed by a police car as he was driving to a third mosque.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, The 5 Lines of Defense in Church Security, Beginning Outside ]

•  Tree of Life synagogue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Oct. 27, 2018
An avowed antisemite fatally shot 11 people and wounded six—the deadliest attack on Jewish people in US history.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Live Life Left of Bang ]

•  First Baptist Church, Sutherland Springs, Texas, Nov. 5, 2017
A US Air Force veteran with a history of domestic violence killed 25 people, including a pregnant woman, and injured 22 others.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Church Security Training: Decision Decks Help You Think Through a Crisis Before It Happens ]

•  Burnette Chapel Church of Christ, Antioch, Tennessee, Sept. 24, 2017
A shooter killed a woman outside the church before entering and wounding seven others. He left a note suggesting the attack was revenge for the 2015 Charleston shooting.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Church Security: Radio Communications Best Practices ]

•  Church of Saint Stephen (Église Saint-Étienne), Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, France, July 26, 2016
Two 19-year-olds, claiming allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, stormed the church during Mass. Two nuns and an elderly couple were held hostage before the terrorists slit Father Jacques Hamel’s throat and seriously injured another elderly churchgoer. Police killed the murderers as they left the church.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Terrorists Call for Attacks on Christians ]

•  Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Charleston, South Carolina, June 17, 2015
A white supremacist killed nine people, including a state senator, during a Bible study.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Church Security: Most Church Attacks Occur During Activities Other Than Sunday Morning Worship Services ]

•  Kehilat Bnei Torah synagogue, Jerusalem, Israel, Nov. 18, 2014
Two Palestinian men from Jerusalem attacked with axes, knives, and a gun the praying congregants, killing four, critically wounding a responding police officer, who later died of his wounds, and injuring seven male worshippers, one of whom never woke up from a coma and died 11 months later. The two attackers were shot dead by the police.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Checklist: Church Security/Safety Equipment ]

•  Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, Oak Creek, Wisconsin, August 5, 2012
A white supremacist with ties to neo-Nazi groups fatally shot six people and wounded three. One of the wounded later died of complications from his injuries.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Self-Defense Includes First-Aid Defense: Turn to ProTrainings to Learn ]

•  Reformation Lutheran Church, Wichita, Kansas, May 31, 2009
An anti-abortion activist shot and killed Dr. George Tiller, who provided late-term abortions, while he was serving as an usher at his church.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Self-Defense Legal Insurance Options ]

•  Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, Knoxville, Tennessee, July 27, 2008
A shooter motivated by racism and anti-LGBTQ hatred killed two people and injured six others.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Church Security Demands a Higher Standard Than Mere Every Day Carry ]

•  Youth With A Mission center and New Life Church, Arvada and Colorado Springs, Colorado, Dec. 9, 2007
A man opened fire at the missionary youth training center and later at the church, killing four people and wounding five. The shooter had been experiencing hallucinations and behavioral disturbances prior to the shooting. An armed church security volunteer shot him, after which he committed suicide.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Church Greeters and Ushers: Eyes and Ears for Security ]

•  First Congregational Church, Neosho, Missouri, Aug. 12, 2007
A shooter killed a pastor and two church elders. The perpetrator later said the shooting was revenge for embarrassment he’d experienced at a church barbecue.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Church Security Book Review: Defending the Flock ]

•  Ministry of Jesus Christ Church, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, May 21, 2006
A man opened fire during a morning service, killing four relatives of his estranged wife before kidnapping and killing her.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Self-Defense and Church Security Lessons by John Correia Reviewing an Attempted Carjacking ]

•  Sash Assembly of God, Sash, Texas, Aug. 28, 2005
A man shot and killed four people and wounded one. Authorities said he had a conflict with church members prior to the shooting.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, LaSorsa & Associates Executive Protection Incidents Report ]

•  Living Church of God, Brookfield, Wisconsin, Mar. 12, 2005
A man who authorities said was angry about a recent sermon fatally shot seven people, including the church’s minister and his teenage son, during a service.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Understand the Times and Know What to Do ]

•  Conception Abbey, Conception, Missouri, June 10, 2002
A 71-year-old Missouri man killed two people and wounded two others before committing suicide.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Protection Book Review: Just 2 Seconds ]

•  Wedgwood Baptist Church, Fort Worth, Texas, Sept. 15, 1999
A 47-year-old man entered the church during a See You at the Pole rally featuring a concert by the Christian rock group Forty Days, where he killed seven people and wounded seven others before committing suicide. Most of the victims were teenagers.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Church Security Team Pistol Qualification Course ]

•  Vermilion County bombings, Danville and Oakwood, Illinois, May 30, 1998, May 24, 1998, Dec. 30, 1997
Three bombings (two in churches: First Assembly of God Church, Danville; United Methodist Church, Oakwood) that killed two people and injured 34, committed by an Army veteran and member of the Danville church he targeted in the second bombing. He killed himself with the third bomb in his garage.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Self-Defense and Church Security: Breathing and Mental Techniques to Reduce Anxiety ]

•  First Baptist Church, Daingerfield, Texas, June 22, 1980
A heavily armed 45-year-old former high school teacher killed five people and wounded 10 others, after members of the church had declined his request to appear as character witnesses in a trial in which he was charged with raping his daughter. He committed suicide in his prison cell before he could be tried.

•  Also see, 1999–2020 Church Violence Statistics, by Carl Chinn and Faith Based Security Network and the interactive database, House of Worship Homicides (2000–2024), by the Violence Prevention Project.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Enroll in the Sheepdog Church Security Academy Safety Member Certification Program ]

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