Brief Excerpts from Eyewitness Statements

Polly
Said: He never threatened anyone else with the knife.
At the time of the first shot he had a knife towards his own eye.

Robert
Said: I don't see in any shape or form that this man as
a threat to the police.

Donna
Was asked: Just before the shot he had the knife....
Up. Definitely. she replied.
Towards his head? the interviewer asked.
Yup...Yup. she said.

Janis
Was asked: Did he ever threaten anybody there, directly?
Not any of us. was her reply.

Jane
Said: He wasn't pointing the knife at anyone else. It was only at his eye.

Michael
Was asked: Did you ever see him point the knife at the officers, at you,
or at any member of the congregation?
No. he replied. I do not recall him turning the knife outwardly.

Sherry
Was asked: So from what you could see what caused the officers to shoot?
You got me. she replied. I couldn't believe that that's the way you would react.
Was asked: Does Bob make a move toward the officer or a move toward anybody?
She replied: No. He was not attacking.

Adlebert
Was asked: Did he take a step towards the police at all?
He replied: Not that I saw.  I think that I would have remembered
I think if he had turned in any aggressive way and threatened them.
Was asked: What did this gentleman do before you heard the shots ring out?
He replied: He was threatening himself with his knife...I didn't see him
threaten anyone else...he never pointed his knife...at any other person.

Mary T
Was asked: Did you see him make any motion with the knife toward either the
officers or anybody else in the congregation?
Only to himself. He had it up to his eye. she replied.

Tommy
Said: He certainly wasn't threatening the policemen in any way
and then the policeman shot.
Was asked: And he always had the knife pointed toward himself?
Pointed toward himself. he replied.

From Iain's Interview Summary:
I asked him what precipitated the shots being fired? He said he wasn't doing
anything different. Knife was still in his hand pointed to his head.

Norman
Said: I did not see him at any time point it in any other direction,
nor did he make any sort of threatening remark or gesture. He did not threaten
anybody except himself.

Clifton
Said: I didn't see him, you know, wielding a knife or anything like that.

Bob
Said: He was not threatening anybody else. He was going to kill himself.

Phyllis
Was asked: Do you recall if he made threats to any other person?
No he did not. she replied. He never threatened anyone else.

Charles
Was asked: Did you at any point see the person lower the knife at all?
Did you ever hear him threaten anybody?
He answered: No.

Heidi
Said: He put the knife back on his eye. That's the last thing
I remember him doing.

Mary H
Said: As I say he never threatened anybody in the room.