The founder and head minister of a controversial fundamentalist
church was shot in the face and neck in the church parking lot
Wednesday night in Union City by a former congregant being sought
in connection with a slaying in San Diego, police said yesterday.
Lacy Hawkins, 60, was in fair condition at Eden Medical Center
in Castro Valley yesterday after being shot.
Diallo Earl Uhuru, 42, was arrested. Police said that after church
services, Uhuru shot Hawkins, then shot himself in the head accidentally
while struggling with a witness. Uhuru suffered minor injuries.
He was released from the hospital yesterday and taken to Santa
Rita Jail in Pleasnton. Union City police are seeking charges
of attempted murder, one for Hawkins and the other for the witness
who tried to disarm Uhuru.
The shootings come during a period of controversy for Hawkins
and his General Assembly Church, a charismatic Christian group
that has congregations in Berkeley, Vallejo and Union City. The
church has about 1,500 members, mostly African American. Members
receive the Holy Spirit and sometimes speak in tongues.
Church members describe Hawkins as a beneficent, loving pastor
who would go to any length for his parishioners. But former church
members describe him as a dictator who lures people into the church
with kindness, then exerts complete control over every aspect
of their lives.
In June, the church made news when 24 current and former Berkeley
city employees filed a lawsuit against the city, claiming that
their bosses accused them of belonging to a cult and denied them
promotions based on their church membership. The suit is pending.
Jacqueline Odom, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, said she
could think of no reason why anyone would want to harm Hawkins.
"We're very upset, The phones have been ringing all night,"
she said.
But Gary Burns, a member of the church for 14 years, holds a different
view. "I knew this was coming eventually," said Burns,
who left the church disillusioned by Hawkins' control over its
members. "I'm surprised it wasn't worse."
Uhruru was being sought in connection with the slaying of his
ex-girlfriend, 28-year-old Navy Lieutenant Cheri Michele Washington,
who was killed by a bullet to the head early Wednesday morning
at her condominium in Rancho Bernardo, north of San Diego.
The couple had been dating for several months, and Washington
recently broke off the relationship, San Diego Police Lieutenant
Glenn Breitenstein said. San Diego police were seeking Uhuru
for questioning when he showed up in Union City and opened fire
on Hawkins.
Uhuru, also known as Earl Uhuru and Nelson Sims, left the church
about three years ago and moved to San Diego. Breitenstein said
he was a civilian at the Naval Medical Center, where Washington
worked as a registered nurse.
Union City police found a note in Uhuru's car indicating he was
unhappy with Hawkins "for not hearing some concerns of his,"
said Captain Connie Van Putten. The note also included plans
for Uhuru's funeral.
Mark Jones, a former member of Hawkins' church, said yesterday
that he had been in touch with Uhuru recently because their daughters
are close friends.
Jones and Burns speculated that Uhuru may have felt he could not
escape Hawkins' influence. They said Uhuru may have blamed Hawkins
for his estrangement from his wife, who still belongs to Hawkins'
church. While in San Diego, Uhuru became a member of a congregation
affiliated with the General Assembly, and Hawkins got Uhuru booted
out of the church band, Jones said.