Police announced on Friday that a “hero” church-goer subdued an active shooter who killed two people and injured another at an Alabama church on Thursday night.
The lone suspect, who was an “occasional attendee of the church” and a 71-year-old white male, attended a dinner at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church on Thursday night, Vestavia Hills Police Department Captain Shane Ware <a href="https://youtu.be/I99Sna4fIcE?t=145">stated</a> during a press conference on Friday morning. The suspect began shooting at some point with a handgun, striking three victims, until he was stopped by a church-goer.
 “Another attendee at the event subdued the suspect, and held him down until law enforcement arrived,” Ware reported. Ware referred to the person who subdued the suspect as a “hero,” noting that the act of heroism was “extremely critical in saving lives.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Police say someone at the church event subdued the suspect. VHPD Captain Shane Ware called that person a hero. Officers aren’t identifying the suspect until warrants are signed <a href="https://twitter.com/CBS_42?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CBS_42</a> <a href="https://t.co/VdUzBCPUJ7">pic.twitter.com/VdUzBCPUJ7</a>
— Michael Clark (@mclarkreports) <a href="https://twitter.com/mclarkreports/status/1537808050538553344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 17, 2022</a></blockquote>
Governor Kay Ivey (R-AL) released a statement after the deadly shooting, saying, “This should never happen,” The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-one-killed-multiple-injured-in-alabama-church-shooting">reported</a>.
“As we are learning about the shocking and tragic loss of a life at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Vestavia, we want to offer our prayers for the victim’s family, the injured and the entire church community,” Ivey said. “I am glad to hear the shooter is in custody. This should never happen — in a church, in a store, in the city or anywhere. We continue to closely monitor the situation.”
When a reporter asked Ware if police knew what motivated the suspect, Ware said that “it is still being looked into by too many agencies.”
The victims were identified by Ware as Walter Rainey, an 84-year-old male; Sarah Yeager, a 75-year-old female; and an unnamed 84-year-old female. Rainey was deceased at the scene of the event, and Yeager passed away at UAB Hospital. The unnamed female is being treated at a local hospital currently. All of the victims were white.
The suspect is currently in custody at the Vestavia Hills Police Department and will remain there while warrants for capital murder are issued by the Jefferson County District Attorney’s office later on Friday.
“There is no threat to the community,” Ware stated during the press conference, adding that numerous agencies and detectives are actively investigating the case and still remain on scene at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church.
This shooting comes amid a number of other shootings that received national attention and led to calls for gun reform. Notably, in May, an 18-year-old gunman <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/shooter-kills-10-wounds-three-in-buffalo-grocery-store-authorities-investigating-as-racially-motivated-attack">killed</a> 10 people and wounded three in a Buffalo grocery store, allegedly targeting the establishment because of racial hatred and extremist ideology, and another 18-year-old <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/uvalde-is-the-second-deadliest-school-shooting-on-record-heres-what-we-know">killed</a> 21 people and wounded 17 at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
After these shootings, President Joe Biden <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-claims-gun-control-not-about-taking-away-rights-before-listing-ways-he-wants-to-take-away-rights">called</a> for clamping down on Americans’ Second Amendment rights during a speech.
“We need to ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines,” Biden said. “And if we can’t ban assault weapons, then we should raise the age to purchase them from 18 to 21, strengthen the background checks.”

Silhouette of Caucasian Man Mourning at Graveyard

‘Hero’ Church-Goer Subdued Active Shooter, Police Say

'Hero' Church-Goer Subdued Active Shooter, Police Say

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The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/biden-administration">Biden administration</a> announced on Friday that it had placed an order for 500,000 doses of a vaccine that protects against <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/monkeypox">monkeypox</a>, following reports of several dozen cases of the disease appearing in the United States.
Health officials said that vaccines were ordered to help show citizens that steps have been taken to deal with the spread of the disease, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-health-government-and-politics-df4bb27e34d8ea6eddea3ec2ee841d39">reported</a> the Associated Press. The vaccine, Jynneos, is produced by the biotech company Bavarian Nordic. It is spread across two doses. 
“We have the vaccines and treatments we need to respond,” remarked Dawn O’Connell, a U.S. health official who overlooks the government’s supply of emergency treatments and vaccines.
Monkeypox is a rare disease from the same viral family as smallpox that spreads mostly via direct close or sexual contact with an infected person. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has <a href="https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/alert/monkeypox#:~:text=Risk%20to%20the%20general%20public,going%20to%20a%20healthcare%20facility.">suggested</a> in an alert that the threat posed to the general population is “low.&#8221; Symptoms of the disease often start out like the flu, but they can also include rashes and swollen bumps on the body and face — which can turn into lesions and leave permanent severe scarring — as well as swelling of lymph nodes.
Back in May, Bavarian Nordic announced that the Biden administration had placed a nearly $120 million dollar order for the company’s smallpox vaccines, which are also effective against monkeypox, <a href="https://fortune.com/2022/05/19/monkeypox-vaccine-purchase-2022-us-government/">according</a> to Fortune. The company also announced that the U.S. has the option to buy $180 million more — working out to be roughly 13 million doses.
“We are pleased to announce the exercise of the first options under our contract with the U.S. government to deliver a freeze-dried version of the smallpox vaccine with an improved shelf-life, which will be manufactured at our new fill and finish facility,” said Paul Chaplin, president and CEO of Bavarian Nordic, in a <a href="https://www.bavarian-nordic.com/investor/news/news.aspx?news=6574">statement</a>. “This marks a significant milestone in our long-standing partnership with the U.S. government to ensure availability of life-saving vaccines for the entire population.”
President Joe Biden remarked after the order in May that the U.S. has enough smallpox vaccines to handle a potential monkeypox problem, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2022/05/23/biden-u-s-has-enough-vaccines-deal-monkeypox-outbreak/9889740002/">reported</a> USA Today. He added that he does not think monkeypox is as concerning as COVID-19 was when it first appeared.
Since 2003, Bavarian Nordic has worked with the U.S. government to help develop and distribute nearly 30 million doses of the smallpox vaccine. The company also announced in May that an unspecified European country will obtain the vaccine for monkeypox, reported Fortune.

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Daniel Schmidt

‘Hero’ Church-Goer Subdued Active Shooter, Police Say

Biden Admin Places Another Bulk Order Of Monkeypox Vaccines