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Tennessee Shooter Once Wanted to be Preacher

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Emanuel Samson, 25, who killed one person and wounded eight others at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch, Tennessee, Sunday, once claimed to be a Christian and said he wanted to be a preacher.
 
Samson is a native of Khartoum, Sudan, which is overwhelmingly Muslim but does have a small Christian population. Police said he came to the United States in 1996, when he was 4 or 5. He is a legal resident of the U.S., but it's not yet known if he is a citizen or how he came here.
 
Samson is reported to have been a former member of Burnette Chapel Church of Christ.
 
Samson had previously posted on Facebook that he was Christian. In February 2010, he wrote, "Ready to get Baptised:) only ONCE, unlike sum ppl."  A day earlier, he wrote, "i dont need to change myself before i come to Christ, cause Christ came into me and CHANGED ME.."

"I came too long of a way, all the way from Africa; to come to America and FAIL. I must say, that's a COMPLETE NO-NO!. Just know that whenever we're around eachother & I'm quiet, I'm just OBSERVING what can be CHANGED in the atmosphere that i may be in at the moment. So don't think for a second that I'm not saying anything because "I don't have anything to say…"; but rather know that I'm thinking of a master plan. I honestly never thought that I'd be a 'high school graduate' at all, I somewhat doubted myself along with others. Although, now im beyond appreciative towards God for allowing me to have that title. Whether it's a diploma in my hands or just a minor certificate, just know that I'm NOT gone let ANYTHING refrain me from taking my education to the very next level. I'm aiming at psychologist; but also becoming a preacher. Either way it may go in my life as I pursue to do what the Lord has called me to do, best-believe one thing; I'm bout that action-&-I-WILL-make it happen. "
 
But more recent posts were sympathetic to Islam and the Black Power movement, or were about how Europeans ruined Africa. One post said, "You're more likely to be killed by a white man than a Muslim terrorist."

 
Then, on the morning of shooting, Samson posted the words "Unrestricted, paroxysm," along with photos of himself. Later he wrote, "You are more than what they told us, "  and, "Become the creator instead of what's created. Whatever you say, goes."

 
His final post before the shooting read, "Everything you've ever doubted or made to be believe as false, is real. & vice versa, B."

Samson's resume on Indeed.com shows he graduated from Motlow State Community College in 2013 with an associate's degree in psychology.  He said he wanted to be a counselor and wrote on his resume,"Great communication skills. Trilingual in the following languages: English, Arabic, and Acholi (tribal language). Excellent memory. Can multitask if needed."
 

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About The Author

Dale
Hurd

Since joining CBN News, Dale has reported extensively from Western Europe, as well as China, Russia, and Central and South America. Dale also covered China's opening to capitalism in the early 1990s, as well as the Yugoslav Civil War. CBN News awarded him its Command Performance Award for his reporting from Moscow and Sarajevo. Since 9/11, Dale has reported extensively on various aspects of the global war on terror in the United States and Europe. Follow Dale on Twitter @dalehurd and "like" him at Facebook.com/DaleHurdNews.