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Va. man could get 45 years for Family Research Council shooting

Posted at 10:16 PM, Apr 23, 2013
and last updated 2013-04-23 22:16:00-04

WASHINGTON (WTVR) — Prosecutors say a Virginia man should spend 45 years in prison for planning to kill members of a conservative Christian lobbying group in August.

Court documents reveal Floyd Corkins II went to the Washington, D.C. headquarters of the Family Research Council with the intention to kill as many people as he could.

According to the FBI’s affidavit, Corkins walked into the Family Research Council on August 15, encountered the building manager and said words to the effect of, “I don’t like your politics.”

Corkins allegedly reached into his backpack and pulled out a 9 mm handgun and fired at Johnson, who was handling security at the building’s entrance. According to the document, security camera footage captured the shooting and showed Johnson tackling his attacker and taking away his gun.

According to the affidavit, police officers found a box of ammunition with 50 rounds in Corkins’ backpack along with 15 sandwiches from Chick-fil-A. In the document, FBI Special Agent Garrett Nabors noted that a senior executive of the restaurant chain had recently announced his opposition to same-sex marriage.

The Family Research Council is a Christian group that focuses on family, anti-abortion and religious liberty issues. It also views homosexuality as harmful.

At the time of the shooting, Corkins was living with his parents in Herndon, Virginia, and volunteering at a Washington center for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

Click here to read more on this story from the Associated Press.

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CNN contributed to this report.