Witnesses describe shootings at Jewish centers in Kansas

By Kevin Murphy OLATHE, Kan (Reuters) - A white supremacist charged with three killings outside two Jewish centers in a Kansas City suburb last April turned his gun on at least three other people as his shooting spree unfolded, witnesses testified in a hearing on Monday. The hearing on whether Frazier Glenn Cross Jr., 74, should stand trial on capital murder charges resumes on Tuesday. Cross could face the death penalty if convicted. Cross, also known as Glenn Miller, was shackled and seated in a wheelchair during the hearing. He was known to law enforcement as a former senior member of the Ku Klux Klan who had expressed hatred for Jewish people. He is charged with killing Reat Underwood, 14, and his grandfather William Corporon, 69, outside the Jewish center, and Terri LaManno, 53, outside the nearby Village Shalom Jewish retirement home in Overland Park, Kansas, on April 13. Although the victims were all shot at Jewish facilities, none of them was Jewish. Overland Park police detective Marty Ingram testified on Monday that he was off duty and working as a security guard at the community center when he found Corporon next to his pickup and Underwood in the passenger seat, both shot in the head. Ingram said Cross, who was captured in the parking lot of a nearby school, said he heard Cross say: "Heil Hitler," and ask: "How many ... Jews did I kill?" Another witness, James Coombes, said he saw Cross firing at Corporon and Underwood before Cross aimed in his direction as he sat in his car. "About three shots rang out and I laid back on the seat," said Coombes, who was not injured. Witness Paul Temme said he was running after the shooter's vehicle to identify the license plate when the gunman turned on him and fired at least one shot, but missed. "I dove to the ground, got up and kept running," he said. Maggie Hunker testified that she saw Cross shoot LaManno at Village Shalom and then turn the shotgun toward her. "He said: 'Are you a Jew?," Hunker testified. "I said no and he put that gun in the trunk of his car, closed the trunk and drove off." (Reporting by Kevin Murphy; Editing by Peter Cooney)