Members of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Vestavia Hills met for worship Sunday (June 19), mourning the deaths of three church members killed by a shooter during a senior adult fellowship dinner June 16.
The victims were all from the Birmingham metro area, one male and two females. The male, Walter “Bart” Rainey, 84, of Irondale died at the scene. The two females — Sarah Yeager, 75, of Pelham and Jane Pounds, 84-year-old, of Hoover — died at area hospitals.
Robert Findlay Smith, 70, was charged with capital murder in connection with the shooting. Smith was booked into the Jefferson County Jail on capital murder, according to Vestavia Voice. Records also show Smith is a licensed firearm dealer.
Speaking to parishioners during Sunday worship, Rev. John Burruss, rector of St. Stephen’s, said, “We come to weep at the foot of the cross.”
Burruss said Rainey noticed Smith sitting alone in the parish hall during a “Boomers Potluck” dinner at the church in the Cahaba Heights area of Vestavia Hills. Rainey invited Smith to sit at their table. Smith declined, then pulled out a gun and began shooting. Burruss referenced the Last Supper, when Judas dined with Jesus before betraying Him.
“They made sure that everyone was welcome at their table,” Burruss said. “It cost them their life. … [But] there is no doubt in my mind that Bart and Jane and Sharon would invite their Judas again, and again, and again to their table.”
Vestavia Hills police Capt. Shane Ware in a June 17 news conference said Smith had been to the church before. News reports said a church member hit Smith with a chair and then subdued him until authorities could arrive.
Rainey’s family releases a statement June 17:
“The family of Walter Bartlett Rainey (Bartlett) wishes to thank every person who has reached out to offer prayers and a thousand different kindnesses to ease the loss we all all feel acutely today while still finding it so hard to believe. Bartlett was a husband of 61 years to Linda Foster Rainey, and we are all grateful that she was spared and that he died in her arms while she murmured words of comfort and love into his ears. We also feel a sense of peace that his last hours were spent in one of his favorite places on earth, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, a place that welcomes everyone with love. We are proud that in his last act on earth, he extended the hand of community and fellowship to a stranger, regardless of the outcome. Bart Rainey was strong in faith and secure in the love of his family and friends. He made everyone he encountered feel special. We hope you will honor him by extending your hand to those around you who are in need. We- his wife, children, and grandchildren — will miss him.”
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was updated June 20.
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