Less than one week after the Mayors Gun Safety Day, tragedy struck again-this time, in Forth Worth Texas, in a Baptist church.  On the evening of September 15, long-haired man dressed in jeans and a black jacket, who witnesses said was spouting obscenities and demeaning worshippers' beliefs, invaded a Wednesday night church service attended by 150 people.  He then opened fire randomly, fatally shooting at least seven people, wounding seven others and then killing himself.

The shooting is believed to be the deadliest in the city's history.  Many of the victims were teen-agers attending a concert by Forty Days, a Christian rock group from Dallas, as part of an annual prayer event. Seven victims, including the gunman, identified by authorities Thursday morning as Larry Gene Ashbrook, 47, of Forest Hill, were pronounced dead at the scene. Two died at a hospital.

The gunman also detonated a pipe bomb at Wedgwood Baptist Church before killing himself in front of more than 200 worshippers.  A gun with a large bore was found at the scene, police said.  The gunman's body remained in the church late last night while a bomb squad searched it for booby traps. None were found, according to fire chief Larry McMillen.  A bulge in the pocket of the gunman's jacket turned out to be extra 9mm ammunition clips. "I was inside, but it's not something I want to describe," McMillen said.

Confirmed dead include: Shawn C. Brown, 23, Susan Kimberly Jones, 23, Cassandra Griffin, 14, Joseph D. Ennis, 14, Justin M. Ray, 17, Sydney R. Browning, 36 and Kristi Beckel, 14.

Some of the other shooting victims were identified as Jeff Lester, a seminary student and custodian at the church; Jaynanne Brown; Mary Beth Talley, a student at Southwest High School; Matt Parr, a Southwest junior; Nick Skinner; and Cassie Griffin.

Gov. George W. Bush, who was in Detroit campaigning for the presidency, denounced the shooting as "a terrible tragedy, made worse by the fact that it took place in a house of hope and love. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families and the congregation. We are prayerful for the individuals who have been shot and their families, and mournful for the families of the deceased."

Fort Worth Mayor Kenneth Barr, who was in Toluca, Mexico, for a Sister Cities event, planned a hasty return to the city. "This is Fort Worth and we'll be united as a city in our strength to see clear through the fog of this tragic criminal act," he said. "I think we need to dedicate ourselves to understanding the tragedy and then to figuring out how to make the changes to keep this from happening again. It is not unique to Fort Worth, but we can start in Fort Worth, and we will."

Conference President and Denver Mayor Wellington Webb extended condolences to the victims' families and to the city as a whole.  Mayor Webb categorized the violence as "another tragic and needless loss of young lives.  It's criminal that when our nation is so clearly challenged by the scourge of gun violence in our communities, that members of Congress can essentially sit on their hands and refuse to take responsibility for dealing with this issue." Mayor Webb pledged that "Mayors across the nation will not rest until we know that we, and all elected officials, local, state, and those in Congress, have done everything possible to protect our young people and our families."