Fear Haunts Church Where Intruding Gunman Killed 2

Monique Woods, 13, and her brother, James, 11, so dreaded their return to church Sunday that they spent the entire night curled up in their grandmother’s bed.

They shuddered at the memory of the masked gunman who burst into Mt. Olive Church of God in Christ on Friday, just minutes after they had received their diplomas for attending a weeklong Bible class.

They had nightmares after witnessing the deafening shots from a sawed-off shotgun, the bloodstains on the floor from the two people who lay dead, and the cries from the other children, “Mommy, mommy,” as they huddled under the pews of the Southeast Los Angeles church.

But their grandmother, Hannah Woods, wasn’t about to let them stay home.

“Being a church, you can’t back off it,” she said. “You just can’t let the church die. If you give up, it means you’ve been defeated by the devil.”

So Monique put on a frilly white dress with matching bow, her brother dressed up in a crisp pink shirt with a white tie and they took their places with 75 other people in the half-empty red velour pews of Mt. Olive.

A gospel choir clad in white robes sang praises, a small combo laid down a rollicking boogie-woogie beat that made even some of the usually stoic white-gloved ushers tap their toes and the congregants cooled themselves with cardboard fans, supplied by a funeral home, that had printed on them: “In time of need, we are there.”

They prayed for Mae Lee, 76, a mother of six who had been shot in the back and killed as she ran in right toward the bathroom.

They prayed for Patronella Luke, a 35-year-old soprano who had been invited to sing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, killed by a shotgun blast to her temple.

And they prayed for Luke’s husband, Peter, 33, a computer technician who was wounded in the leg.

“They said it would make us feel better, but I don’t know,” Monique said. “It’s so scary. You don’t know if that man might come back in.”

Los Angeles police, who have kept guard in front of the church since the shooting, said Sunday that they still know of no motives and have made no arrests in connection with the attack.

Detectives are pursuing various theories, Sgt. Bob Riebold said, from the possibility of a gang-related attack to the chance that the Lukes--who were sitting at opposite ends of the chapel--may have been targeted.

Second Man Sought

In addition to the gunman, police are seeking a second armed man who waited outside the church.

Assemblywoman Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) told the congregation that she is donating $5,000 in conjunction with the Black Women’s Forum to be used as a reward for information leading to the capture of the assailant.

“I feel, along with the rest of the community, violated,” Waters said. “The church is a sanctuary that must never be violated.”

The Rev. J.C. Brewster, pastor of Mt. Olive for 20 years, speculated that fear had probably kept away at least half of the 200 congregants who regularly attend Sunday services. He urged those who were there not to despair, but to continue as “pilgrims” on a righteous path.

“We have to keep on keeping on,” he said. “You can’t stop now. You can’t quit.”

No Prophecy

Brewster discounted the notion that he had somehow prophesied the attack on the Lukes Friday night when he told the couple that God was going to call on one of them. He said he was merely trying to inspire Peter Luke, a Sunday school teacher at the church, to continue living a devout life.

“He’s a fine young man, very helpful,” Brewster said, adding that he often singles out individuals in the congregation. “He was just young and needed encouragement . . . to be faithful.”

Peter Luke, who was in stable condition Sunday recovering from the leg wound at California Medical Center in Los Angeles, described the gunman’s actions as “cold, calculating,” but said he does not think he or his wife were specifically targeted.

“I saw him walk through the center aisle,” Luke said. “He passed me . . . then shot in front . . . then I saw him point the gun at me and shoot. I hit the floor. After that, there was just screaming.”