The sequence of events the culminated in Woody's death were often misreported, at least in some details, in the media. Perhaps this reflects the difficulty people have in accepting that a person, having neither harmed nor threatened anyone, could be be brutally killed by the authorities. In fact the events unfolded as followed:

Woody entered the church at the beginning of the scheduled service quietly, took the podium, and proceeded to read a statement describing who he was and why he was there.
Woody went on to relate his fears that government authorities would torture and kill him if they apprehended him.
He requested that the congregation grant him sanctuary or political asylum to protect him from said authorities.
After the children were removed, and after many of the parishioners left, Woody removed a pocket knife from his pocket, pointed it at his face, and threatened to harm himself if his witnesses continued to leave.
Several parishioners attempted to calm Woody. One told Woody he was scaring people, to which Woody responded by apologizing and putting away the knife. Another took a seat next to Woody and started placing calls on a cell phone to numbers Woody had given him.
The three police officers entered the room. Meanwhile Woody jumped up and backed away from the officers, the knife again pointed at his face.
Officer Parker 'negotiated' with Woody by ordering him to drop the knife several times.
Officers Parker and Holbrook fired seven shots at Woody.
The officers handcuffed Woody's arms behind his back, both of which had been shot.
Woody bled uncontrollably for perhaps 15 minutes while the officers refused to remove the handcuffs so a physician could access his abdominal wounds.
Woody remained in an ambulance for around 22 minutes before being admitted to the emergency room of the hospital 7 minutes away.

page last modified: 2005-12-14