Priest shot and wounded in Baltimore by man who accused him of molestation, police say
Tue May 14,10:25 PM ET
By GRETCHEN PARKER, Associated Press Writer
BALTIMORE - In the latest tragic turn in the sex scandal engulfing the Roman Catholic Church, a priest was shot and seriously wounded outside his home by a man who accused him of abuse nine years ago.
Dontee Stokes, 26, surrendered Monday night and said he shot the Rev. Maurice Blackwell after the priest refused to talk to him, police spokeswoman Ragina Averella said. Stokes was charged Tuesday with attempted murder, gun violations and assault and was being held without bail.
Blackwell, 56, was in serious but stable condition at University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center.
In 1993, the church concluded that Stokes' claims of being molested by Blackwell as a teen-ager were not credible. However, the priest has been on involuntary leave since 1998 because of allegations leveled by another alleged victim.
"This kind of tragedy is something we've feared for some time," said Barbara Blaine of Chicago, founder of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests.
Cardinal William Keeler said Tuesday he was "appalled that another act of violence has occurred in the city of Baltimore." He also said: "This is a new experience for all of us. What I sense is an exquisite quality of pain."
Since the sex scandal erupted in Boston early this year, the Rev. Don Rooney, 48, of the Cleveland Diocese shot himself to death after being accused of molesting a girl.
In Baltimore, police said Stokes had a .357-caliber handgun in a black duffel bag when he drove past Blackwell's home Monday evening, circled the block and came back. Police said Stokes tried several times to talk to the priest, but Blackwell showed no interest in speaking with him.
Stokes told authorities he "doesn't know what came over him" after that, according to the police report.
Police said Stokes opened fire, hitting Blackwell in his left hand and twice in his left side near his hip, police said.
"There's a breaking point for everybody and I guess yesterday was his breaking point," Stokes' mother, Tamara Stokes, told Baltimore station WBAL-TV.
She said people in the church knew her son was being abused but that "nothing was done. Nothing still has not been done until this day, except that my son sits behind bars."
Ray Kempisty, a spokesman for the Baltimore Archdiocese, said Stokes had reported the allegations to police in 1993, but police never charged Blackwell.
According to a 1993 police report, Stokes, then 17, told officers that Blackwell had touched and fondled him for three years while he attended Bible study classes at St. Edward Roman Catholic Church. The archdiocese conducted its own investigation and found the charges were not credible, Kempisty said.
However, the archdiocese stripped Blackwell of his priestly duties four years ago after finding he had a relationship with another minor, Kempisty said.
This was really sad to me. It's bad enough that this young man says he was molested, but he may spend part or all of his life in jail. I pray for him and the priest.
Tue May 14,10:25 PM ET
By GRETCHEN PARKER, Associated Press Writer
BALTIMORE - In the latest tragic turn in the sex scandal engulfing the Roman Catholic Church, a priest was shot and seriously wounded outside his home by a man who accused him of abuse nine years ago.
Dontee Stokes, 26, surrendered Monday night and said he shot the Rev. Maurice Blackwell after the priest refused to talk to him, police spokeswoman Ragina Averella said. Stokes was charged Tuesday with attempted murder, gun violations and assault and was being held without bail.
Blackwell, 56, was in serious but stable condition at University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center.
In 1993, the church concluded that Stokes' claims of being molested by Blackwell as a teen-ager were not credible. However, the priest has been on involuntary leave since 1998 because of allegations leveled by another alleged victim.
"This kind of tragedy is something we've feared for some time," said Barbara Blaine of Chicago, founder of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests.
Cardinal William Keeler said Tuesday he was "appalled that another act of violence has occurred in the city of Baltimore." He also said: "This is a new experience for all of us. What I sense is an exquisite quality of pain."
Since the sex scandal erupted in Boston early this year, the Rev. Don Rooney, 48, of the Cleveland Diocese shot himself to death after being accused of molesting a girl.
In Baltimore, police said Stokes had a .357-caliber handgun in a black duffel bag when he drove past Blackwell's home Monday evening, circled the block and came back. Police said Stokes tried several times to talk to the priest, but Blackwell showed no interest in speaking with him.
Stokes told authorities he "doesn't know what came over him" after that, according to the police report.
Police said Stokes opened fire, hitting Blackwell in his left hand and twice in his left side near his hip, police said.
"There's a breaking point for everybody and I guess yesterday was his breaking point," Stokes' mother, Tamara Stokes, told Baltimore station WBAL-TV.
She said people in the church knew her son was being abused but that "nothing was done. Nothing still has not been done until this day, except that my son sits behind bars."
Ray Kempisty, a spokesman for the Baltimore Archdiocese, said Stokes had reported the allegations to police in 1993, but police never charged Blackwell.
According to a 1993 police report, Stokes, then 17, told officers that Blackwell had touched and fondled him for three years while he attended Bible study classes at St. Edward Roman Catholic Church. The archdiocese conducted its own investigation and found the charges were not credible, Kempisty said.
However, the archdiocese stripped Blackwell of his priestly duties four years ago after finding he had a relationship with another minor, Kempisty said.
This was really sad to me. It's bad enough that this young man says he was molested, but he may spend part or all of his life in jail. I pray for him and the priest.
