church shooting
Congregation under attack
A church shooting is a mass shooting that takes place at a house of worship, typically targeting congregants during services.
These attacks have occurred across denominations and faiths, often motivated by racial hatred, religious animosity, or personal grievances: The church shooting in Charleston killed nine people during a Bible study.
The term reflects the particular horror of violence in spaces traditionally considered sanctuaries.
- massacreLarge-scale unlawful killing
- tragedyDisastrous or sorrowful event
- victimsThose who suffer harm
- gunmanArmed violent person
- gun violenceHarm inflicted using firearms
pews · congregation · place of worship · house of God · prayer · thoughts and prayers · mourning · hate crime · white supremacy · domestic terrorism · terrorism · memorial · survivors · violence · Emanuel · Charleston · worship · pastor
- South CarolinaCharleston, Columbia, Greenville, Spartanburg, Myrtle Beach
- violenceviolence, physical attack, brutality, physical violence, aggression
church shootingsanctuary
Protected sacred space
safe haven · religious sanctuary · Sunday service · communion · prayer meeting
church, shooting, churches, churched, churchly, churchgoer, shoot, shoots, shot