WASHINGTON
(AP) -- A man who volunteered at a gay community center had a backpack
full of Chick-fil-A sandwiches and a box of ammunition when he said "I
don't like your politics" and shot a security guard at the headquarters
of a conservative lobbying group, authorities revealed Thursday.
Floyd
Lee Corkins, 28, was charged in federal court a day after opening fire
in the lobby of the Family Research Council. The guard, who was shot in
the arm, was wounded but was able to help wrestle the gun away and
restrain the shooter, police said.
Corkins was
charged with assault with intent to kill and bringing firearms across
state and was expected to appear later Thursday in federal court.
Corkins
lived with his parents in Herndon and had recently been volunteering at
a D.C. community center for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
people. He told the guard words to the effect of, "I don't like your
politics" and pulled a handgun from his backpack, according to an FBI
affidavit.
Besides a box of ammunition,
authorities also found 15 sandwiches from Chick-fil-A, the fast-food
chain that has landed at the center of a national cultural debate over
gay marriage.
The Family Research Council had
recently defended Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy for his opposition to
gay marriage. The council strongly opposes gay marriage and abortion and
says it advocates "faith, family and freedom in public policy and
public opinion." The conservative group maintains a powerful lobbying
presence, testifying before Congress and reviewing legislation.
Corkins'
parents told FBI agents that he has "strong opinions with respect to
those he believes do not treat homosexuals in a fair manner," the
complaint says.
The assault charge carries up
to 30 years in prison and the weapons charge has a 10-year maximum
sentence. It wasn't immediately clear if Corkins had a lawyer.
Authorities
believe Corkins parked his car at a northern Virginia Metro station and
used public transportation to get downtown. An open black box
resembling a gun box was found on the car's passenger seat, the
affidavit says.
The guard, Leonardo "Leo"
Johnson, 46, was shot in the left arm. His mother, Virginia Johnson,
said he was resting comfortably at a hospital Thursday morning. She said
she had not been to visit him but had spoken to him by phone.
"He said he feels very well," she told The Associated Press in a brief interview. "I am proud of him, very proud of him."
FRC president Tony Perkins said he visited Leo Johnson in the hospital and told him that he was a hero.
"He said, `This hero business is hard work,'" Perkins said during an appearance Wednesday morning on American Family Radio.
Perkins added that the shooting would not deter his organization from its mission.
"We're
not going anywhere. We're not backing up, we're not shutting up. We
have been called to speak the truth," Perkins said. "We will not be
intimidated. We will not be silenced."
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
