One of the deadliest church shootings in U.S. history, carried out in retaliation for a congregation's refusal to testify on the shooter's behalf.
Key Facts
- Date
- June 22, 1980
- Location
- First Baptist Church, Daingerfield, Texas
- Perpetrator
- Alvin Lee King III, age 45
- Killed
- 5 people
- Wounded
- 10 people
- Weapons used
- M1 carbine, two revolvers, Colt AR-15 SP1 rifle
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Alvin Lee King III, a former high school teacher facing trial on charges of raping his daughter, had asked members of the First Baptist Church in Daingerfield, Texas, to serve as character witnesses on his behalf. When the congregation declined his request, King armed himself with multiple firearms and traveled to the church.
On June 22, 1980, King opened fire inside the First Baptist Church during a service, using an M1 carbine, two revolvers, and a scoped Colt AR-15 SP1 rifle. He killed five people and wounded ten others before shooting himself and being arrested by authorities at the scene.
King was charged with five counts of murder and ten counts of attempted murder. He never faced trial, however, as he died by suicide in his prison cell on January 19, 1982. The attack drew national attention to the vulnerability of religious congregations to targeted violence.