Man charged in attack on conservative site

WASHINGTON - A man who volunteered at a gay community center had a backpack full of Chick-fil-A sandwiches and a box of ammunition when he said "I don't like your politics" and shot a security guard at the headquarters of a conservative lobbying group, authorities revealed Thursday.

The guard, Leonardo Johnson, 46, was resting comfortably at a hospital Thursday.

Floyd Lee Corkins II, 28, was ordered held without bond on charges that he opened fire a day earlier inside the lobby of the Family Research Council, an influential conservative Christian group that has supported the president of the fast-food chain and his staunch opposition to same-sex marriage.

Though the shooting was swiftly condemned by groups across the ideological spectrum, it tapped into deep divisions over cultural issues such as gay marriage and drew finger-pointing about whether inflamed rhetoric on either side was to blame.

Family Research Council president Tony Perkins said "reckless rhetoric" from organizations that disagree with his group's opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage was to blame for the shooting.

"Corkins was given a license to shoot an unarmed man by organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center that have been reckless in labeling organizations hate groups because they disagree with them on public policy," Perkins said.

The Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks and litigates hate groups, labeled the FRC as a hate group in 2010 for what it called the group's anti-gay stance.

The organization said Thursday that it is outrageous for the council to say its rhetoric led to the shooting, and said the council had a pattern of "demonizing" comments.

Corkins entered the lobby of the downtown Washington building on Wednesday morning, carrying a backpack with a box of ammunition and 15 Chick-fil-A sandwiches, authorities said. It wasn't immediately clear what he planned to do with the sandwiches.

Corkins, who recently had been volunteering at a D.C. community center for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, told the guard words to the effect of, "I don't like your politics" and pulled a handgun from his backpack, according to an FBI affidavit.

The guard was shot in the arm but was able to help wrestle the gun away and restrain the shooter, police said.

Corkins, who lives with his parents in Herndon, Va., was charged with assault with intent to kill and transporting firearms across state lines and was ordered held pending a hearing next week. He told the judge he had $300 in his account and was appointed a public defender. He was otherwise silent at the hearing and stared ahead.

The shooting was rebuked by President Obama and Republican president candidate Mitt Romney, but also gay and lesbian advocacy groups and Christian organizations. The National Organization for Marriage said it was time to stop labeling organizations that oppose same-sex marriage as hateful.

The Family Research Council had defended Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy for his opposition to gay marriage. The council maintains a powerful lobbying presence, testifying before Congress and reviewing legislation.

The assault charge carries a penalty of up to 30 years in prison and the weapons charge has a 10-year maximum sentence.

Authorities believe Corkins parked his car at a Virginia Metro station and used public transit to get downtown. He used a Sig Sauer 9mm pistol that was legally bought and owned, said Richard Marianos, special ATF agent in charge of the Washington field office.