Bible School children spared as South Knoxville triple shooting leaves 2 dead

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Dozens of children at a vacation Bible School were ready to go outside for fun on a water slide Thursday when 100 yards away three people were shot in a parking lot of a South Knoxville public housing development.

"Within moments of the shooting, we were to have them outside for a water slide," said Tom Hodges, 63, director of the Montgomery Village Baptist Center, 4601 Joe Lewis Road.

"So we were blessed that they weren't outside. They were literally on their way out when this happened.

Outside, a long piece of plastic, a water hose and a bottle of dish soap waited for the children to build their water slide.

"Trust the Lord's timing," Hodges added.

Two men died of their wounds, one at the scene of the 1:25 p.m. shooting in Montgomery Village Apartments. The second man died shortly after arriving at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, according to Knoxville Police Department spokesman Darrell DeBusk.

The third man, DeBusk said, didn't appear to suffer life-threatening injuries.

Police took a man into custody for questioning at police headquarters, but he had not been charged, DeBusk said.

Police have not identified the shooting victims or the man questioned about the violence.

The shooting occurred in lot C, which serves 10 apartments at 1409 and 1401 Daylily Drive.

Police had a dark blue, four-door Oldsmobile removed on a flatbed truck from Lot C. Two passenger side windows had been shot out. Blood was visible on a small window still intact on the rear passenger side of the car.

It appeared one errant round had struck the window of another vehicle parked in Lot C. Two other vehicles near the Oldsmobile appeared to have body damage, but authorities declined to provide details of what occurred during the shooting or the weapon used.

"We're not at this point prepared to release a lot of details because it's so early in the investigation," DeBusk said.

He said police were trying to identify one of the shooting victims, but he was unsure if that person was the survivor.

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Hodges said 48 children ages 5-13 had been attending a vacation Bible School at the Baptist Center.

The children were supervised by about 20 high school and college students ranging from 16-22 years old who were on a mission trip from Gethsemane Baptist Church, St. Matthews, S.C.

The children had finished lunch and were on their way outside when the shots were heard.

"I've been here 12 years and this is the first time I've ever had a shooting like this in the daytime," Hodges said.

Hodges said he occasionally hears gunfire in the area, but there have been no shootings with a victim.

To assure the safety of the children, Hodges said the mission group helped escort each child home. "We made sure their Mamma was home," he said.

The Montgomery Village Baptist Center is owned and operated by the Knox County Association of Baptists. It is not associated with the public housing development.