Congregants were “distraught" when they learned the alleged shooter was a member of the community, the statement said. His family has belonged to the church for many years. “We watched Aaron grow up and accepted him into church membership when he made his own profession of faith in Jesus Christ," it said. Those statements caused widespread uproar and skepticism given the locations and that six of the eight victims were women of Asian descent. “He had some interesting religious beliefs, I’m sure, but he was never very overtly pushy about that sort of thing.

Source: ABC News March 19, 2021 21:45 UTC