'Miracle' in Idaho: Pastor shot 6 times in the back after praying for Ted Cruz on his way to recovery, says family
The pastor in Idaho who was shot six times in the back and suffered a collapsed lung is on his way to recovery—a development that his family described as a miracle.
Pastor Tim Remington, 55, was shot at around 2 p.m. Sunday at the parking lot of the Altar Church in Coeur d'Alene by suspected gunman Kyle Odom, 30, who was arrested Tuesday outside the White House in Washington, D.C. after he threw "objects" over the fence, NBC News reported.
Remington's son Jeremiah said what happened to his dad was a miracle. "It really is, there was a bullet that lodged in his skull. It's an angel that said, this is as far as its gonna go today," he said, according to KHQ.
Remington's family said God is keeping him alive.
"Thank you and keep praying for him," Jeremiah said, adding that they can forgive Odom for what he did.
"If God can forgive, we can forgive," he said.
Coeur d'Alene Police Chief Lee White said Odom was arrested while throwing objects, including documents and a computer flash drive, over the White House fence. The package included a manifesto that named U.S. House members and senators, and Israeli government officials.
Remington was shot one day after he prayed at a rally of Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz in Coeur d'Alene.
Odom is a former Marine who has a history of mental issues, the police said.
Remington's condition was upgraded to fair at the Kootenai Health and Medical Center.
White said Odom's attack was "pre-planned" and that he was armed during the Sunday church service. He went to the parking lot after the service and shot the pastor.
Records showed that he had three minor traffic violations dating to 2002.
A resume available publicly showed Odom worked as a flight expedition technician for the Marine Corps from 2006 to 2010 in Camp Pendleton, California. He was given the Iraq Campaign Medal with one star.
He graduated from the University of Idaho as a summa cum laude in biochemistry in 2014. During his college days, he was awarded a fellowship in 2013 for advanced research in aging.
