The 2005 Living Church of God shooting was a

mass shooting A mass shooting is a violent crime in which one or more attackers use a firearm to Gun violence, kill or injure multiple individuals in rapid succession. There is no widely accepted specific definition, and different organizations tracking su ...

that occurred at the

Living Church of God The Living Church of God (LCG) is one of several groups that formed after the death of Herbert W. Armstrong, when major doctrinal changes (causing turmoil and divisions) were occurring in the former Worldwide Church of God (WCG) during the 199 ...

(LCG) church congregation at a

Sheraton Hotel Sheraton Hotels and Resorts is an American international hotel chain owned by Marriott International. As of June 30, 2020, Sheraton operates 446 hotels with 155,617 rooms globally, including locations in North America, Africa, Asia-Pacific, Centr ...

in 2005 in

Brookfield, Wisconsin Brookfield is a city in eastern Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. It had a population of 41,464 at the 2020 census. The city is adjacent to the Town of Brookfield and is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. History Brookfield i ...

. Prior to the shooting, the perpetrator, Terry Ratzmann, had been a member of the church. It was a religious hate crime.

Background

Terry Ratzmann (April 29, 1960 - March 12, 2005) lived with his mother and sister. He had

Hashimoto's thyroiditis Hashimoto's thyroiditis, also known as chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, Hashimoto's disease and autoimmune thyroiditis, is an autoimmune disease in which the thyroid gland is gradually destroyed. Early on, symptoms may not be noticed. Over ti ...

(a chronic

autoimmune disease An autoimmune disease is a condition that results from an anomalous response of the adaptive immune system, wherein it mistakenly targets and attacks healthy, functioning parts of the body as if they were foreign organisms. It is estimated tha ...

) and a

bicuspid aortic valve Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is a form of heart disease in which two of the leaflets of the aortic valve fuse during development in the womb resulting in a two-leaflet (bicuspid) valve instead of the normal three-leaflet (tricuspid) valve. BAV is ...

(a mild congenital heart abnormality), and was missing part of three fingers on his left hand as the result of a much earlier injury. He was a computer technician with a placement firm, and his contract was ending. Ratzmann was known to suffer from bouts of depression, and was reportedly infuriated by a

sermon A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present context ...

the minister had given two weeks earlier.

Shooting

The

congregation was gathered at a Sheraton hotel building. Ratzmann entered 20 minutes after the 12:30 service began, carrying a

9mm This is a list of firearm cartridges that have bullets in the to caliber In guns, particularly firearms, but not #As a measurement of length, artillery, where a different definition may apply, caliber (or calibre; sometimes abbreviate ...

Beretta handgun, and fired 22 rounds into the congregation over the course of a minute, killing the minister and six others, including the minister's son. Four others, including the minister's wife, were wounded and hospitalized, with her being critically injured. Ratzmann emptied a 13 round magazine before reloading, then fired more shots before he shot and killed himself, leaving 4 rounds left in the second of the three

magazines A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...

he had brought with him.

Victims

* Pastor Randy Gregory, 50 * James Gregory, 16 * Harold Diekmeier, 72 * Gloria Critari, 55 * Bart Oliver, 15 * Richard Reeves, 58 * Gerald Miller, 44

Aftermath

Police searched the home that Ratzmann shared with his mother and sister, .22 caliber ammunition, and three computers were taken from the home by police. The incident focused national attention on the teachings and legacy of

Herbert W. Armstrong Herbert W. Armstrong (July 31, 1892 – January 16, 1986) was an American evangelist who founded the Worldwide Church of God (WCG). An early pioneer of radio and television evangelism, Armstrong preached what he claimed was the comprehensiv ...

, the

Worldwide Church of God Worldwide may refer to: * Pertaining to the entire world * Worldwide (rapper) (born 1986), American rapper * Pitbull (rapper) (born 1981), also known as Mr. Worldwide, American rapper * ''Worldwide'' (Audio Adrenaline album), 2003 * ''Worldwide ...

and LCG's leader Roderick C. Meredith, and the police investigated religious issues as a potential motive for the shooting. As the investigation continued, police confirmed that they were "increasingly focused on religion as the motive" for the shooting, additionally stating that the pastor's family seemed to have been targeted. Voice of America determined that the attack was one of five house of worship shootings in the United States that were motivated by religious hate.

References

{{Mass shootings in the United States in the 2000s 2005 mass shootings in the United States 2005 murders in the United States 2005 in Wisconsin Anti-Christian sentiment in the United States Attacks in the United States in 2005 Crimes in Wisconsin March 2005 crimes in the United States Mass murder in 2005 Mass shootings in Wisconsin Murder–suicides in Wisconsin Suicides by firearm in Wisconsin Violence against Christians

Background

Shooting

Victims

Aftermath

See also

References