Investigators said they were able to stop the potential massacre at Park Valley Church in Haymarket thanks to someone who saw troubling posts on Instagram and called police
Authorities arrested a man who they say was minutes away from carrying out a mass shooting at a church in Northern Virginia on Sunday morning.
Rui Jiang, 35, was taken into custody with a loaded gun and extra ammo at Park Valley Church in Haymarket. Authorities said he was on a mission to kill.
“This was a thwarted diabolical plot to kill churchgoers in Haymarket, Virginia … and local law enforcement stopped it,” Chief Kevin Davis of the Fairfax County Police Department said.
“Minutes. Minutes. The congregation was making their way into the church. He was in the vestibule of the church about to enter,” Davis said. “So, minutes or seconds away.”
Never fails to amaze me how someone can completely disregard the hard work and sacrifice of other human beings and instead praise an imaginary skyguy.
Since I feel the sudden urge to vent, I’ve never forgotten staying at this one homeless shelter several years ago.
We found out much later after the place was shut down that they’d actually been receiving more than adequate donations the entire time, but the staff was just taking it all home with them and telling us that there was no food to give. They could do one or sometimes two meals, but never much, never more, and not dependably from day to. They had none.
So obviously we believed them and since this was just…the position we were in, I was taking the money I was technically required by agreement to save for a place and using it to buy food for myself and anywhere from 1 to 4 of the other residents.
One of them was Gabriel, who came in with the clothes on his back and a guitar. Gabriel was religious, but one of the painfully few who put the kindness part first and he was very sweet and tended to be walked on for it and to become depressed for being taken advantage of.
When he took his guitar around looking for gigs, I went with him for moral support. When one of those was a church, I sat in with the flock even though the related trauma makes my skin crawl. When winter drew close, I bought him what I still think was a pretty snazzy jacket.
I split a meal almost daily for months, because I’m not going to see anyone hungry when I can afford it, even though none of us could really afford it and doing so was imperiling my future. When he found out the fiance he doted on was banging his best friend while he himself was homeless, guess who was there to cry on immediately.
I don’t regret any of those, to be very clear. I’d grudgingly do it again, because people matter more. But to think to check up on him some years after we parted and find him thanking god for looking after him during that time was a direct slap in the face. Over a decade later, it still stings.
Of course it would be god. Looking after each other like sentient, suffering beings, that’s god’s doing, personally stepping in to work his mysterious ways. I only take the blame for the bad shit.
As a total stranger, thankyou for looking after Gabriel, even after being so mistreated yourself. You clearly have a lot of compassion and kindness to offer the world, even if it’s not always respected by its recipients (although it sounds like Gabriel may not have had the skills or ability to fully comprehend it). I hope you’re in a much better place and able to extend your kindness even further and without neglecting your own needs in the process.
Wow. I can see how that would’ve stung. It just feels so irrational! And, there’s no need for them to drop their god schtick when acknowledging someone’s effort. He could’ve just as easily have said “I thank god for putting people who cared around me”
Same imaginary skygod who put them in harms way to begin with. Never did understand.
Man, I know a woman who got COVID bad and got a double lung transplant. Not a word about any of her doctors or other care staff that kept her alive while on a ventilator for 6 month. Not even a mention once. But it was constant “look at the power of prayer” and “thank the good lord for my recovery” and shit like that.
Which is hilarious considering how many “good Christians” died for refusing the vaccine. Confirmation bias in action!
Even when I was a theist I still made a point of thanking doctors and nurses. Everyone can get credit.
Yep I can’t stand this. What about the little girl who dies of cancer? God didn’t feel like protecting her?
Fuck off
Well, if he’s consistent with his behavior in the Bible, it’s not that he failed to protect her. He killed her himself
And if all those people were shot up, you can be damn sure they wouldn’t be saying it’s thanks to God. Mass of idiots.
God, when he fails to prevent all the other mass shootings that happened in places of worship:
“Lol that was part of my plan, too.”
“That’s not a plan! You’re just a jerk!” -Jerry
I inka dinka binka bonka understood this reference.
“Why does God’s plan involve so many priests molesting alter boys?”
And needing 10% of my money?
And what does God need with a starship?
Cops should have just said, “Oh, it’s at a church? God’s got it handled,” and went back to speed traps.
Snips knew better than to praise Skyguy… eventually
In his actual statement he thanked the police and everyone involved. NBC Washington felt that only the snippet thanking God was worth reporting.
Thanks for clarifying
Police don’t have a particularly good track record at prevention; they are rather famous for showing up after the crime has happened. I think giving crediting a higher power for the miracle that they proactively stopped a shooter before the shooting started kinda fits.
I also think it’s reasonable that folks who believe in a deity that theoretically protects them would thank that deity when they feel protected. I somehow doubt the cops on scene lacked for any expression of thanks because everyone was too busy praying.
What did they have to say? Do you think they didn’t thank them as well? Enough of that nonsense leave people be…
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