Sunday, March 20, 2005

Death and Hell, Survival and Faith

A chilling account of the shootings in Brookfield, WI, at the Living Church of God meeting

...A week after the tragedy, authorities still are not sure why Ratzmann turned murderous.

They combed through Ratzmann's belongings at the New Berlin home he shared with his mother, a sister, two miniature collies and a Pomeranian. Investigators pursued leads about Ratzmann's anger over a sermon, depression over his job, and frustration over his failure to find a wife. They have not been able to prove any of those motivations with certainty. No suicide note has been found.

Church members, too, struggle to make sense of what happened. Eight dead; four injured, and Marjean Gregory still hospitalized. "I don't think it's humanly possible to put this together. I think he sank into a depression so deep that he went over to the dark side. I think he was taken over by evil," said Thomas Geiger, who is Robert's father.

The minister's older son, 22-year-old Jonathan Gregory, who lost both his father and his brother to bullets, hopes to find the answer in his faith.

"Christ's kingdom is coming soon, and my Dad will be there to reign, and my brother will know a life more rich and joyful than we can imagine," he wrote in a letter to supporters that was posted on a Web site.

"At times like this, it's easy to doubt, lose faith, and be overwhelmed. I have felt this, and will continue to as I grieve, but God will be with me and with all of you if we stay close to him. . . . May God comfort all those who mourn, and may those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake inherit the kingdom."

Nahal Toosi and Megan Twohey, of the Journal Sentinel staff, and the A P contributed to this report.

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