Raging Racist Who Killed 2 Black Shoppers At Kroger Initially Attempted To Enter Black Church

Javier Durán / EyeEm

Gunman Who Fatally Shot 2 At Kroger Had His Sights Set On Black Church

This story was already bad enough, but police are now saying that the gunman who fatally killed two innocent black people at a Kroger in Jeffersontown, Kentucky was at a black church attempting to get in just minutes before his attack.

According to NY Times reports, 51-year-old Gregory Bush was arraigned Thursday on two counts of murder and 10 counts of wanton endangerment. His bail was set at $5 million.

Bush is accused of killing 67-year-old Vickie Lee Jones and 69-year-old Maurice E. Stallard, who are both black, while Bush is white. Police have said there is no indication that Bush knew either victim and he had no known connection to the grocery store. A man named Steve Zinninger told local reporters that his father confronted Bush with a firearm in an attempt to stop him and Bush allegedly told him “Whites don’t kill whites,” before moving on.

During a news conference Thursday, Chief Sam Rogers of the Jeffersontown Police Department said Bush has a history of mental illness. He, along with church officials, also revealed that surveillance video had captured Bush unsuccessfully attempting to enter First Baptist Church of Jeffersontown before the attack at Kroger.

The church administrator, Billy Williams said eight to 10 people were inside the church when a a member in the parking lot became alarmed after witnessing Mr. Bush pulling on the church doors aggressively. He drove away after less than 10 minutes. A midweek service had ended just an hour before Bush had arrived.

“There were 70 people here at our weekly meeting service just an hour before he came by,” said Mr. Williams, who was among them. “I’m just thankful that all of our doors and security was in place.”

Williams says the First Baptist congregation is praying for the families of the victims, both of whom had relatives who are regular attendees at the church.

First Baptist Church of Jeffersontown recently celebrated its 185th anniversary.

The reality of the situation is already terrible — we don’t even want to think about what could have happened.