Why Some Parishioners Stayed
18 of the parishioners stayed with Woody through the time
of the shooting, many defying police orders to leave.
Most were not afraid for thier safety.
Perhaps most were attempting to help Woody.
Here is what they had to say about their motives.
Eyewitnesses
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source:12/2 interview, p.14
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I stayed cause I thought I was helpful to this sick guy.
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I went outside and a woman was lying in front of the door,
was kind of all huddled up ... so I put my arms around her,
comforted her, and then I thought, no I got to go back inside, and so
I went back inside.
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Mary and Helen, her mother, I don't know how old she
is, she's in her 80s .. and I think they were a little afraid to leave
because Jane told them "don't go cause it would agitate him. You
know, it's just like the trauma kept like, whoa, . It was increasing,
not abating.
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Many people who were in the process of leaving sat
back down because he pointed the knife into his eye.
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The policemen sort of set an aura, and a lot of people
had left and I hadn't left. I don't know why I didn't leave, but I
wasn't afraid, and I kept thinking someone should help him and get
out of this stage and get out of there safely to somewhere he could
be helped.
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I was working with alcoholics on the psychiatric unit
so I have seen very disturbed people before in my life. So I was not
in the slightest disturbed by this man. I saw that he was very very
paranoid and upset. And someone came and said "do you want to leave"
and I said "No I'll stay here." Because I was not ... I did not in any
way feel threatened but I think some people were afraid. A lot of
people left.
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I wasn't in the least frightened, but I was just afraid
he might do himself harm and I might be needed.
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And I was afraid because he was only like maybe ten feet
away from me. I was afraid that in that kind of act of desperation
that anything was possible.
He could jump out at me or something, so I stayed through.
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I had still remained because as a nurse, I felt like...
I mean I knew he was already to the point where he was essentially
apprehended. You know, he was lying on the ground.
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