Gunman Shoots Six at Guam Adventist Medical Clinic

[Wendy]

February 26, 2001 Tamuning, Guam, USA (Territory) .... [Bettina Krause / ANN]
Two people are dead and four injured after a gunman entered Guam Seventh-day Adventist Medical Clinic at 11 a.m. on Monday, February 26. Peter Maguadog shot dead his estranged wife, Lucia Magudog, and her friend, Burnadette Moreno both clinic employees. He then turned his gun on others in the clinic, wounding employees Jordon C. Urban, Betty Vence, and Anthony Cruz, along with a visiting consultant, Tom Kim. The siege ended when a team from the Guam police force shot and killed Maguadog in the basement of the clinic.

The Adventist Church in Guam is "shocked and grieved by this senseless tragedy," says Wilbur H. Claus, communication director for the Adventist Church in Guam-Micronesia. Claus says that Adventist pastoral staff have been mobilized to assist those traumatized by the attack.

Agana Adventist Church has been opened to provide those grieving with a place of prayer, and a special prayer service is planned for Tuesday, February 27, at 1 p.m. Immediately following the attack, church administrators opened a hotline for those seeking more information or pastoral care.

Maguadog was a former employee of the clinic, but not a member of the Adventist Church. According to local news reports, Maguadog and his estranged wife Lucia were due to appear before the Guam Superior Court February 27 regarding a restraining order that had been issued against Maguadog.

The Guam Adventist Medical Clinic, established in 1957, is a multi-specialty medical and dental clinic.

Adventist News Network will issue further news updates as more information becomes available.
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Taken from the Adventist News Network

[Wendy]

Healing Process Begins After Guam Shootings

March 1, 2001 Tamuning, Guam, USA (Territory) .... [Ken Wetmore]

The healing process following the February 26 shooting at Guam Seventh-day Adventist Clinic has begun; though the physical wounds of the survivors are healing more quickly than the emotional wounds, say local Adventist Church leaders.

Peter Maguadog, 44, entered the Adventist Clinic, Monday at 11 a.m. and in the following minutes fatally shot his ex-wife, Lucia Maguadog, and Bernadette Moreno. Both women were nurses at the clinic. Four other people were wounded in the attack before police fatally wounded Maguadog.

As of Wednesday night, February 28, all the victims of the shooting, with the exception of Jordan Urban, had been released from Guam Memorial Hospital. Although Urban remains in the hospital, his condition has improved and he is no longer in the intensive care unit.

"We visited JC yesterday and while he is very weak, he was responsive and we were able to talk and pray with him for a few minutes," says Remenster Jano, executive secretary of the Adventist Church in Guam-Micronesia. Doctors attending Urban report that they expect him to be released from the hospital within the next week.

The day after the shooting the emotional healing began with a special service held at the Agana Heights Adventist Church to remember the dead and pray for the wounded. Over 440 members of the community packed the church to capacity.

Those in attendance included clinic staff, family members of the victims, Guam legislators, and members of the press. The common denominator of shared grief brought together a group that crossed denominational, ethnic, and cultural lines.

Several Adventist pastors including the president of the Adventist Church in Guam-Micronesia, Willy Nobuo, spoke reminding the audience of the promises the Bible holds for believers during difficult circumstances. Most touching were the tributes offered by family, friends, and coworkers of the victims.

Julie Emmanuel, human resource director at the clinic, remembers Lucia Maguadog and Bernadette Moreno as being very different. "If variety is the spice of life, then Lucia and Bernie enriched our lives," said Emmanuel. Emmanuel described Maguadog as being a strong and resilient person who commanded respect and Moreno as being a person who loved to laugh and make others happy.

The Agana Heights Adventist Church service was not the only religious service held. Mass was held at several Catholic Churches around the island, which is 85 percent Roman Catholic.  
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Taken from the Adventist News Network