Heroic church guard: 'It was me, the gunman and God'
By Alan Gathright, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Originally published 05:18 p.m., December 10, 2007
Updated 06:45 p.m., December 10, 2007
New Life Church security guard Jeanne Assam, 42, and Senior Pastor Brady Boyd talk to reporters at Colorado Springs police headquarters this afternoon.
"It was me, the gunman and God," said the heroic church security guard who stopped a hate-fueled rampage by shooting a gunman dead Sunday.
Jeanne Assam, 42, also a member of New Life Church, said she remained calm and focused by putting her faith in God during the intense, ear-splitting gunfight in Colorado Springs.
Armed with a handgun, she calmly confronted Matthew J. Murray, 24, who was armed with an assault rifle, two handguns and 1,000 rounds of ammunition, police said.
"It was scary," the former Twin Cities patrol officer said this afternoon at a Colorado Springs news conference. "I'll never forget the guns were so loud."
"But ... God was with me and I asked him to be with me. And he never left my side," she said.
New Life Senior Pastor Brady Boyd credited Assam with stopping the bloodshed that claimed the lives of two teenage sisters. Murray had killed two people and wounded two others earlier Sunday at an Arvada missionary training center.
Assam shot Murray dead after he ignored her commands to drop his weapon and fired on her.
"When the shots were fired, she rushed toward the scene and encountered the attacker there in a hallway," Boyd said. "There could have been a great loss of life yesterday, and she probably saved over 100 lives."
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December 10, 2007
6:36 p.m.
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KC writes:
See, that's how you do it. Too bad she wasn't among the law enforcement at Columbine. She was a shining star at that press conference too. The Police Chief of the Colorado Springs Police department was an embarrassment.
December 10, 2007
6:54 p.m.
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Uno writes:
Good job Jeanne! Your name and picture should define “heroine” in the dictionary.
December 10, 2007
7:13 p.m.
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GeneralDissaray writes:
The Good,The Bad,& The Bornagain.
December 10, 2007
7:22 p.m.
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ripcord writes:
GeneralDissaray, what do you mean? I missed it?
December 10, 2007
8:36 p.m.
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snowbelly writes:
he had a thousand rounds,whatever spirit that woman had,we all could use some of that fortitude, determination, and selflessness.
Another thank you jesus for concealed carry.
December 10, 2007
8:41 p.m.
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americaneagle1 writes:
So we have armed security guards in church now ? Oh I am sure that some christian fanatic ( by the way I am a christian too) will say " it was by the grace of god that the security guard was there" you know what the last time a church had security guards in church was this fellow name Jim Jones. Sounds like this gunman was created in that church so maybe there something wrong with that church "Jones Town" "cult maybe"? If you have people in your church carrying weapons then your are doing something wrong. If you have to have armed guards in your church then you are no different that muslim extremist. I beleive that a federal investigator should be called in to investigate the goings on in this church and it's millions of members. We have a new life chur ch in this city and hide in secrecy and in the shadows. All of the members are like robots they have no personailty and if I have offended someone too bad it is america and here I can say what I want and not have to worship god under the circumstances that my christian church has to have ARMED security guards. This so called hero is gloting on national tv. She is not a hero! GOD BLESS AMERICA!
December 10, 2007
8:54 p.m.
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davehughes writes:
americaneagle1 - you are an idiot.
December 10, 2007
9:02 p.m.
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americaneagle1 writes:
you explain to me why there are armed security guards? or you can't do that can you? I am not an idiot I can soeak my mind just like you but anyway, tell me davehughes Why is there ARMED SECURITY GUARDS THERE?
December 10, 2007
9:05 p.m.
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davehughes writes:
You know what she is? A modern Joan of Arc. Woman, attractive, who profoundly believes in God, but is ready with her sword to defend the faith, and the faithful.
And with the kind of blather that americaneagle1 spews out, like the first Joan of Arc, she will be burned at the Media Stake.
As for an open church of 10,000, 7,000 having been there that day, having a cadre of trained, licensed, background checked unpaid security guards who were ready for just what happened as somehow bad, is idiocy. Any fool can see that this country is now overrun with crazies who beleive in nothing, and will kill until stopped.
Go to your church, americaneagle1, where there is no security and then try to tell me nothing will ever happen. Let me know after you are shot in the back.
December 10, 2007
9:08 p.m.
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MICKIE writes:
end of times read your bible
December 10, 2007
9:16 p.m.
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ripcord writes:
americaneagle1, did you read what you wrote before posting it? Does it make sense to you?
December 10, 2007
10:05 p.m.
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americaneagle1 writes:
I love the first Amendment GOD BLESS AMERICA
December 10, 2007
10:19 p.m.
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becket writes:
Does anyone out there think this security guard is on the level. She seems a little crazy to kill someone on one day and go on tv the next. I think her story will change when we find out the guy did himself in before she shot him and she wants to be seen as a hero. Why was she fired from past cop job. This whole thing is really weird to me. More stange facts will come out. This is not just a nut job shooting up a couple of churches.
December 10, 2007
11:44 p.m.
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davehughes writes:
You are wrong Beckett. A man who was slightly wounded as he crouched behind a post after hurrying toward the gunman (he said that after Columbine he swore he would go toward the shooters to do what he could, and not hang back like so many at Columbine while more died) saw everything between the gunman and the woman guard. But he was unarmed. He was interviewed in the hospital by local reporter. Said that she walked right toward the gunman, ordering him to drop his guns (he had an assault rifle in one hand and a handgun in the other) He refused and shot at her missing, she bored in, shooting, according to him 'at least 10 times' (but other reports say she fired exactly 6 times. The witness said she was the bravest and calmest woman he had ever seen. When the gunman went down the flesh wounded man rushed to him and grabbed the one pistol out of his hand. He said that armed him and he was ready if other gunmen were still operating. He said that the pistol he took out of the gunmans hand had jammed. He unjammed it to be ready if there was more shooting.
That cool headed lass did exactly what her previous police training told her to do. Keep firing until the assailant goes down. It was the gunman who lost his cool when he was shot at repeatedly. Couldn't handle all he had. She shot to kill. He just to spray bullets.
The police say they have not yet determined whether he took his life - forensics and an autopsy will tell - but she fired at him, hit him, and he went down. And soon died. He sure was ready to kill scores - he had two handguns on him, the assault rifle and a backpack with 'thousands' of rounds in clips.
December 12, 2007
4:30 p.m.
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Wolfgang writes:
americaneagle1,
Why are there armed guards in churches? Oh I don't know, maybe because nutcases like to go shoot them up.
Are you trying to say having armed guards wasn't justified?