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Nashville church shooting suspect made cryptic Facebook posts

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Emanuel Kidega Samson, 25, is accused of opening fire at a church, killing one and injuring seven others.
NASHVILLE — The suspected gunman in a Tennessee church shooting made several cryptic Facebook posts, one alluding to a sudden attack, on Sunday morning before police say he went on a shooting rampage at a church he used to attend.
Emanuel Kidega Samson, 25, who, according to his Facebook page, is originally from the Sudan, wrote just before 11 a.m., “Everything you’ve ever doubted or made to be believe as false, is real. & vice versa, B.”
Two photos posted Sunday morning showed Samson flexing his muscles accompanied with the words “unrestricted paroxysm.” Paroxysm means a sudden attack or violent expression of emotion.
Police said Samson is a legal U. S. resident but not a citizen. He moved to the U. S. in the 1990s, police spokesman Don Aaron said.
Members of Burnette Chapel Church of Christ did not recognize Samson on Sunday because he wore a mask, but later told police he used to attend church services there.
“He actually had attended this church a year or two years ago,” said Aaron. “They said he hasn’t been there in quite a while. They couldn’t be more definitive on that, but they actually knew him.”
A public records request yields no criminal record for Samson, from Murfreesboro, Tenn.
According to public records, Samson recently lived in Rutherford County, Tenn., and at an apartment in South Nashville near the church.
Police say Samson shot and killed one woman and left others wounded during a shooting spree at the church. The shooting began at about 11 a.m., according to Nashville police.
Just before then, Samson was active on his Facebook page, posting: “Become the creator instead of what’s created. Whatever you say, goes.”
He also wrote, “You are more than what they told us.”
Police have not indicated a motive for why they believe Samson opened fire on the small congregation.
Among those injured were the pastor, Joey Spann, and his wife. In addition to being a pastor, Spann teaches Bible classes at Nashville Christian School and coaches the school’s middle and high school girls basketball teams.
Melanie Smith, 39, was identified as the woman killed in the church shooting .
Samson has been charged with one count of murder. Additional charges will come later, police said.
Contributing: Holly Meyer, Joel Ebert, Natalie Allison and Anita Wadhwani, The Tennessean. Follow Nate Rau on Twitter: @tnnaterau

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