Man accused in deadly mega-church shooting competent to stand trial

COLLEGE PARK, Ga. — Channel 2 Action News has learned that a judge has ruled that the man accused of opening fire at World Changers International Church nearly three years ago is competent to stand trial.
 
And now a date has been set.
 
Channel 2's Tyisha Fernandes watched dozens of people walk into the church Wednesday evening for Bible study, and everyone had to walk through security before they entered the sanctuary.
 
Churchgoers declined to comment on the fact that the murder trial has finally been scheduled.
 
Floyd Palmer, 54, has yet to go on trial for the October 2012 fatal shooting.
 
Police said Palmer was a former employee of the church. He is accused of firing nearly a dozen shots inside the sanctuary and killing the prayer leader, 39-year-old Gregory McDowell.
 
McDowell was a husband and the father of two sons.
 
Palmer took off after the shooting but was arrested at Lenox Square mall in Buckhead a few hours later.
 
He was indicted in January 2013 on charges of murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and weapons offenses.
 
Tuesday, a Fulton County superior court judge decided that Palmer is competent to stand trial, even though there were several concerns surrounding his mental state.
 
Wednesday evening, Fernandes tried to get a comment from church members as they walked into prayer service, but they declined to comment on the new development in the case.
 
Palmer's lawyers admit he's ready to stand trial for murder, but they're sticking to claims that he was insane during the shooting.
 
The District Attorney's Office says that the trial will likely get started in a few months, probably January of February of next year.
 
Police say this is the second time Palmer has been accused of shooting someone at a place of worship. In 2001, he was charged with shooting at a Maryland mosque.

He was committed to a mental facility and released in 2006.

WSBTV