Alabama grand jury indicts 70-year-old church shooter

A grand jury in Jefferson County, Ala., indicted Robert Findlay Smith on capital murder charges last week, according to public court records released Friday. On June 16, Smith allegedly killed 84-year-old Walter “Bart” Rainey, 75-year-old Sarah Yeager, and 84-year-old Jane Pounds at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Vestavia Hills, Ala., a suburb of Birmingham. The victims were part of a group of about 25 people who were present at a church potluck dinner. Neither of Smith’s attorneys returned any requests for comment.

What happened? Smith was seated alone at the dinner when a longtime church member invited him to join several others at a table, according to the Rev. Doug Carpenter. Smith allegedly refused the offer, pulled out a gun, and shot the three people before another church member rushed him, struck him with a chair, and subdued him until police arrived. Smith had attended church nearly every Sunday, according to authorities, but tended to keep to himself.

Dig deeper: Read Susan Olasky’s article from the WORLD archives about takeaways for Christians regarding mass shootings.