Mark Tyson
Member
Police: Woman fatally shot by ex-boyfriend in church
November 3, 2003
ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla.- Authorities were searching for a man suspected of fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend at a church in front of her family members and friends.
Willie Crowder, 59, waited until services were over at Peaceful Zion Baptist Church on Sunday afternoon to pull out a pistol in the church parking lot and shoot Anne Horne Savage once in the head, witnesses and authorities said.
Savage's 15-year-old daughter, her brother and her sister all grappled with Crowder after the single shot, but the man chased her into the annex building of the church, where he shot Savage four more times as she begged for help, a Seminole County sheriff's news release said.
Savage, 44, died on the scene. Crowder drove away and authorities were trying to find him Monday, authorities said. Crowder, who faces a murder charge, was considered dangerous.
The sheriff's office said Crowder and Savage had been involved in a domestic dispute. Savage had recently broken up with Crowder after a five year relationship, said her sister, Rose Horne.
Horne said she saw the two having a discussion in the church parking lot Sunday and went to see if her sister needed help.
"Then he pulled out this little gun and it went pop. I thought it was a cap gun until I saw Anne fall. And the blood ... ," Horne said.
Horne said she remembered throwing her arms around Crowder's waist to try to stop him, and Crowder pushing her away.
Savage's daughter, Nicky, 15, and brother, the Rev. C.E. Horne, also grappled with Crowder, she said.
"He kept shooting and shooting," said Rose Horne, 40, of Sanford. "It doesn't even seem real. I couldn't make it stop."
Steve Olson, a sheriff's office spokesman, said Savage had an active injunction against Crowder, but further details were not available.
In 2000 Savage asked a judge to issue an injunction against Crowder and that was granted. In March 2001, Crowder was adjudicated guilty of felony battery. Details of that case were not immediately available.
___
Information from: The Orlando Sentinel, http://www.orlandosentinel.com
November 3, 2003
ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla.- Authorities were searching for a man suspected of fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend at a church in front of her family members and friends.
Willie Crowder, 59, waited until services were over at Peaceful Zion Baptist Church on Sunday afternoon to pull out a pistol in the church parking lot and shoot Anne Horne Savage once in the head, witnesses and authorities said.
Savage's 15-year-old daughter, her brother and her sister all grappled with Crowder after the single shot, but the man chased her into the annex building of the church, where he shot Savage four more times as she begged for help, a Seminole County sheriff's news release said.
Savage, 44, died on the scene. Crowder drove away and authorities were trying to find him Monday, authorities said. Crowder, who faces a murder charge, was considered dangerous.
The sheriff's office said Crowder and Savage had been involved in a domestic dispute. Savage had recently broken up with Crowder after a five year relationship, said her sister, Rose Horne.
Horne said she saw the two having a discussion in the church parking lot Sunday and went to see if her sister needed help.
"Then he pulled out this little gun and it went pop. I thought it was a cap gun until I saw Anne fall. And the blood ... ," Horne said.
Horne said she remembered throwing her arms around Crowder's waist to try to stop him, and Crowder pushing her away.
Savage's daughter, Nicky, 15, and brother, the Rev. C.E. Horne, also grappled with Crowder, she said.
"He kept shooting and shooting," said Rose Horne, 40, of Sanford. "It doesn't even seem real. I couldn't make it stop."
Steve Olson, a sheriff's office spokesman, said Savage had an active injunction against Crowder, but further details were not available.
In 2000 Savage asked a judge to issue an injunction against Crowder and that was granted. In March 2001, Crowder was adjudicated guilty of felony battery. Details of that case were not immediately available.
___
Information from: The Orlando Sentinel, http://www.orlandosentinel.com