On August 19, 1993, anti-abortion extremist Rachelle “Shelley” Shannon shot at Dr. George Tiller five to six times outside of his clinic in Wichita. Tiller was hit in both arms, but he didn’t sustain any life-threatening injuries and was back at the clinic the next day, where he proceeded to put up a sign that read “WOMEN NEED ABORTIONS AND I’M GOING TO PROVIDE THEM,” according to History News Network. He also installed bulletproof glass at the clinic, hired armed guards, and started wearing a bulletproof vest, reports The New York Times.
Shannon was a member of the Army of God, an American Christian extremist organization, and in addition to participating in the Summer of Mercy, she also edited some of the AOG’s manuals, according to “A Death in Wichita” by Stephen Singular. After her conviction in 1994 for the attempted murder of Tiller, she was also linked to several 1992 arson, acid, and firebombing attacks on clinics that performed abortions in the western United States, per the National Abortion Federation.
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And despite being caught and convicted, Shannon continued to work with the Army of God while she was imprisoned. Portland Mercury reports that while she was imprisoned, anti-abortion extremist Scott Roeder visited Shannon at least 25 times before he murdered Tiller in 2009. Other anti-abortion extremists, like John Brockhoeft and Robert Dear, have also identified Shannon and the Army of God as an inspiration.
