Anthony Bell — 2006 Baton Rouge Church Mass Murder
Overview
On May 21, 2006, 25-year-old Anthony Devon Bell carried out a mass shooting at the Ministry of Jesus Christ church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, killing four of his estranged wife’s relatives and wounding the church’s pastor—his mother-in-law—before abducting his wife, Erica Bell, and murdering her at a nearby apartment complex.
Time & Place
The shootings began during a Sunday morning service at the Ministry of Jesus Christ, located at
1935 Dallas Drive, Baton Rouge shortly after 9:00 a.m. Bell arrived around 9:15 a.m., asked his estranged wife to reconcile, and when she refused he left and returned with a handgun.
The Crime
Inside the church, Bell fired multiple shots, fatally striking four adults—each related to his wife—and critically wounding Pastor Claudia Brown. He then abducted Erica Bell and three children from the sanctuary. A short time later, at a nearby apartment complex parking lot, he shot Erica Bell to death in their vehicle; the children were found unharmed. Police arrested Bell at the scene.
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