Larry Ashbrook

Mass Murderer

Larry Ashbrook and the 1999 Wedgwood Baptist Church Massacre

Background

Larry Gene Ashbrook was a 47-year-old Fort Worth, Texas, resident who carried out a deadly attack inside Wedgwood Baptist Church on September 15, 1999. Ashbrook entered the church during a youth-centered religious gathering, opened fire on those inside, detonated an improvised explosive device and ultimately killed seven people before taking his own life. Seven additional victims were wounded. Ashbrook was born on July 10, 1952. In the years before the massacre, relatives, neighbors and acquaintances described increasingly erratic, hostile and paranoid behavior. He lived with his elderly father, Jack Ashbrook, and neighbors later alleged that Larry sometimes behaved violently toward him. Jack Ashbrook died on July 20, 1999, less than two months before the church shooting. Ashbrook repeatedly claimed that government agencies, police officers, former employers and unidentified conspirators were persecuting him. He wrote rambling letters to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in which he alleged that the Central Intelligence Agency was monitoring him and that others were attempting to frame him for serious crimes. Shortly before the shooting, he visited the newspaper and attempted to persuade staff members to publicize his claims.

Preparation for the Attack

During the investigation, police learned that Ashbrook had obtained two semiautomatic handguns earlier in 1999. The weapons were a 9mm Ruger P85 and a compact .380-caliber AMT Backup pistol. Investigators determined that he had purchased the guns from separate sellers at a flea market in February 1999. A search of Ashbrook's residence revealed evidence of severe deterioration and destructive behavior. Investigators found holes smashed into walls, concrete poured into toilets, damaged fixtures and poisoned fruit trees. Materials associated with the construction of pipe bombs were also discovered inside the property. His writings contained paranoid allegations, hostility toward organized religion and claims that powerful groups were controlling or attacking him. Although later accounts suggested that Ashbrook may have associated with extremist ideas, investigators never established that he was acting under orders from an organized group. His writings and statements during the massacre strongly indicated resentment toward Christianity, but authorities were unable to identify one definitive motive that fully explained the attack.

The Wedgwood Baptist Church Gathering

On the evening of September 15, 1999, hundreds of teenagers and adults gathered at Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth. The church was hosting a See You at the Pole youth rally and concert. The event included music by the Christian rock band Forty Days and was intended to bring students together for prayer, worship and fellowship. Ashbrook arrived at the church wearing mirrored sunglasses and carrying his firearms and a homemade pipe bomb. Witnesses noticed him entering while smoking a cigarette. His presence appeared unusual because he was considerably older than most of the young people attending the rally and did not appear connected to the church or the event. ...

Confirmed Victims: (7)

Kristi Kathleen Beckel 14 yr old Female

Church Shooting in Fort Worth