Witness details threat in church shooting

• Tweet

WICHITA, Kan., Jan. 25 (UPI) -- A 51-year-old man accused of fatally shooting an abortion provider in a church in Wichita, Kan., also threatened an usher, a witness testified Monday.

The Wichita (Kan.) Eagle said Gary Hoepner, who was serving as an usher at Reformation Lutheran Church on May 31, testified that Scott Roeder threatened him with a gun after the suspect shot abortion provider George Tiller.

Hoepner said he and fellow usher, George Tiller, were inside the church when a man he later identified as Roeder approached Tiller and shot the doctor.

"I noticed a movement from the side," Hoepner testified. "And I looked up and this man had walked up to George put a gun to his head and shot."

Hoepner claimed he chased after the suspect as the man attempted to flee the church, only to face the individual's gun and a threat of "I'll shoot you."

"I stopped," Hoepner added. "I thought about my wife, who wasn't there that day. ... I'd already seen him shoot one person."

The Eagle said Tiller previously testified that Roeder, who is facing first-degree murder charges, also pointed his gun at him during the 2009 shooting.