Why Texas minister talked to me (and only me) about deadly church shooting

Minister Britt Farmer, left, receives encouragement from church member Hugh Galyean on Monday. Photo by Bobby Ross Jr.

Minister Britt Farmer, left, receives encouragement from church member Hugh Galyean on Monday. Photo by Bobby Ross Jr.

Editor’s note: Today we launch “Weekend Plug-In,” a column by veteran religion writer Bobby Ross Jr. Look every Friday for analysis, insights and top headlines from the world of faith.

Bobby Ross Jr.’s Weekend Plug-In

Bobby Ross Jr.’s Weekend Plug-In

WHITE SETTLEMENT, Texas (ANALYSIS) — A few minutes after noon Sunday, my iPhone started pinging with messages from friends, alerting me to a shooting at the West Freeway Church of Christ in this Fort Worth suburb.

“One of my friends’ parents goes there,” my sister, Christy Fichter, texted. “Said her dad was carrying … not sure if that means he shot the shooter or not. A little too close to home for sure.”

As it turned out, her Facebook friend Jaynette Barnes’ father — Jack Wilson — was the heroic church security team leader who stopped the bloodshed.

The former reserve sheriff’s deputy gunned down Keith Thomas Kinnunen, 43, after he fatally wounded two beloved Christians: Richard White, 67, and Anton “Tony” Wallace, 64. The shooting lasted just six seconds but felt like so much longer to those who endured it.

As I searched online for any reliable details, I came across a link to the church’s YouTube livestream of its Sunday morning assembly. I fast-forwarded through the video until I came to the part that will be seared in my brain forever. 

I heard the shots. And the screams. 

I saw the bodies fall. 

And I burst into tears.

However, I quickly composed myself because I am a journalist. I had a job to do. Sadly, it’s one I’ve had to do far too often since my first experience with a major tragedy a quarter-century ago: the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.

The rest of the afternoon is a virtual blur: I put together an initial story for The Christian Chronicle’s website. I posted on Facebook and Twitter about what I knew. I did an interview with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about what I saw on the video. After authorities took down the video, I explained to a New York Times reporter who emailed me that I didn’t have access to it.

I had West Freeway minister Britt Farmer’s cell phone number in my contacts, but I chose not to call him in the immediate aftermath. I did send him an email expressing my interest in talking to him when he felt like it.

Shortly after 10 p.m. Sunday, he texted me and said he was free to talk. I got out of bed, where I was still following news of the shooting on social media, and called him.

My father, Bob Ross, and Farmer both attended the now-defunct White’s Ferry Road School of Preaching in West Monroe, La., albeit at different times. Our families knew each other at the old Midtown Church of Christ in Fort Worth in the 1980s. Decades later, Farmer is one of a few hundred ministers and church leaders on a reader feedback email list that I maintain for my Christian Chronicle work.

“It’s been a long day,” Farmer told me as we discussed the church’s plans for a service of healing the following night.



Farmer said he was getting inundated by media calls. But he didn’t want to talk to CNN or “Good Morning America.” He wanted to talk to me. 

“I lost my best friend today,” he said, referring to White. “In fact, both of them were two of my best friends.”

Farmer told me he trusted me and knew that, even if I asked uncomfortable questions about what happened, it would be “from a good heart.” I told him I’d make the three-hour drive from my home in Oklahoma City to White Settlement the next morning.

“I love you, brother,” I told him before the call ended. “I’m praying for you. I’m just so sorry about all this.”

“I love your mom and dad a bunch,” Farmer replied. “I loved watching you grow up. You’ve done well, and I’m proud of you.” 

I interviewed him the next day and was the only media type allowed in the members-only service Monday night. Farmer made a general statement to the press as scores of people gathered outside the church for a prayer vigil.

The Associated Press and many other major news organizations quoted my Christian Chronicle coverage in their reports. Religion News Service, Religion Unplugged and Christianity Today all picked up the Christian Chronicle story on the prayer service.

A journalist friend texted me and said of Farmer’s approach, “That’s nice for The Christian Chronicle but really bad for media relations.”

I don’t know.

I’m a proud journalist who believes in the vital role of the free press. But at times such as these, I often wonder — going all the way back to the Oklahoma City bombing — why our noble profession can’t come up with a better way to tell important stories without overwhelming victims.

In Farmer’s case, should he really be expected to respond to 150 media calls on the same day that two close friends are murdered in the most horrific fashion possible?

P.S. Don’t miss my friend Bud Kennedy’s Star-Telegram column on Thursday’s funeral service for White. It’s a really nice piece that — no surprise, given the quality of person/writer — treats the church’s experience with sensitivity and grace.

Power Up: The Week’s Best Reads

1. ‘We’re not safe as Jews in New York’: After five people were stabbed as they celebrated Hanukkah in Monsey, N.Y., The Atlantic’s Emma Green delved into “the latest in an escalating drumbeat of anti-Semitic violence in the hub of American Jewish life.”

At the Washington Post, Julie Zauzmer wrote a front-page story on how “For New York’s Orthodox Jews, a fearful present brings up echoes of the violent past.”

For more insight, see Terry Mattingly’s GetReligion post that seeks “to understand the blitz of anti-Semitism that's shaking New York.”

2. Why some churches are taking bold steps to treat opioid addiction: Kelsey Dallas of the Deseret News in Salt Lake City reports on how the opioid crisis seems to raise the stakes for one congregation that “had long been involved in outreach efforts to drug users and hosted Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.”

On the other hand, Dallas notes that “many churches still hesitate to face the crisis head on.”

3. Religion Unplugged’s top stories of 2019: Journalists love year-end lists — and decade-end lists. Since this news magazine launched just last February, we’ll stick to our top stories of 2019, based on website traffic.

Managing Editor Meagan Clark runs down the Top 10, starting with a piece by Maya Harrison and Natallie Rocha on a Jewish-Muslim legal duo turning heads in New York City.

At No. 2: Executive Editor Paul Glader’s big scoop on a whistleblower alleging a $100 billion secret stockpile by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Inside The Godbeat: Behind The Bylines

The New York Times has a new reporter covering religion for the Metro section: Liam Stack.

“Ever since he became a journalist, Liam Stack has wanted to cover one particular beat: religion,” said a company memo. The Times’ full release contains more details about his background and experience.

Stack joins Elizabeth Dias on the Godbeat. She’s the Times’ national correspondent who covers faith and politics.

“I’m thrilled to be joining Metro to cover religion, a topic that has fascinated me for many years,” Stack said in the release. “I think this job is going to be a blast.”

Welcome, Liam!

Charging Station: In Case You Missed It

Here is where you can catch up on recent news and opinions from Religion Unplugged.

Protests ring in the New Year in India as a ‘black day’ (by Avinash Giri)

New York clergy denounce anti-Semitic violence following slew of attacks (by Micah Danney)

Ugandan pilgrimage to honor murdered archbishop as martyr for freedom (by John Semakula)

Torah that survived the Holocaust in Poland to be rededicated (by Dave Schechter)

Opinion: What will happen to churches in the U.K. after Brexit? (by Richard Ostling)

Opinion: Hollywood glosses over Mister Rogers’ pastorhood (by Terry Mattingly)

Opinion: Preparing my son for a semester abroad, and anti-Semitism (by Dave Schechter)

Opinion: Islamic State beheaded 11 Nigerian Christians as ‘work of God’ (by Theophilus Abbah)

Opinion: The Buddhist book you should read, even if you’re not Buddhist (by Hadley Hitson)

The Final Plug

There was a fascinating discussion on Sunday's edition of "Meet the Press" involving New York Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet and Washington Post Executive Editor Marty Baron.

Yes, President Donald Trump and religious voters figured prominently in what was said.

“We have to do a better job covering religion,” Baquet said — just one snippet of a fuller, more nuanced conversation.

Watch it all here:

That’s it for Edition No. 1 of Weekend Plug-In.

Let’s plan to connect again next week!

Bobby Ross Jr. is a columnist for Religion Unplugged and editor-in-chief of The Christian Chronicle. A former religion writer for The Associated Press and The Oklahoman, Ross has reported from all 50 states and 15 nations. He has covered religion since 1999.

Got feedback or ideas for this column? Email me at therossnews@gmail.com.