Sniper: The True Story of Anti-Abortion Killer James Kopp

by Jon Wells

The True Story of Anti-Abortion Killer James Kopp Sniper opens in October 1998 near Buffalo, NY. A man is alone in the dark in a forest. He clutches an assault rifle and is thinking about his mission. "You can cut holes in the fences around the death camps," he thinks. "A trickle of relief in the abortion holocaust. It is your duty to do it." He nestles the rifle into his shoulder and shoots at his target through the back window of a house, then flees. Barnett Sepia, a doctor who provides abortions, is fatally wounded. The shooter is James Kopp, the son of a Marine, who came to embrace the pro-life cause and ultimately the notion of "justifiable against abortion providers. Kopp fancies himself a lone wolf in the movement; a celibate man driven to "defend the unborn." He is nicknamed "Atomic Dog" in the movement and helps orchestrate assaults on abortion clinics. As the story unfolds, he becomes the central figure in an international manhunt for multiple shootings in Canada. On the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted list, Kopp flees to Mexico, Ireland, and France. Award-winning journalist Jon wells followed Kopp's footsteps, traveled to his hometown, and interviewed investigators in the U.S., Canada, Ireland, and France to tell this gripping detective story and dark psychological drama.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, Crime, Science, History, Mystery, Social

300 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2008

Reviews

[Alberto Tebaldi · Rating 3 out of 5]

As said in other reviews, this book is well written and offers a full insight into the story. I just find it scary how fanaticism can so easily roots into the human mind and causes the most and irrational decisions and acts.

[Charlene A. Lester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book

Although this was an excellent book it was frightening to see the depth of one's beliefs and the actions those beliefs can come to.

[Barbara Maxwell-Dubrinsky · Rating 1 out of 5]

Whereas Jon Wells did some research for his book, a good portion was paraphrasing court testimony and police transcripts. I did not like this book as Wells writing style is disjointed and hard to follow. He jumps from person to person without making a clear connection to James Kopp or why he has introduced them. He includes information that is irrelevant to the story, I assume to add pages to an already too long book that drones on and on. Wells won an award for this book but the only award I can think of would be for one of the worst books ever written.

[Jan Tisdale · Rating 2 out of 5]

Story of anti abortion killer James Kopp. Pro life James hunted doctors in Canada and US who were pre forming abortions. Story takes readers inside his mind. He was a peaceful man to himself, but driven to defend the unborn.

“ he is crazy to think shooting doctors to save the unborn is the thing to do.
It was boring but at same time interesting.
I remember seeing this on the news”.

2 1/2 star

[Jane Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

True Crime

This is an especially good book. The author handles the controversial aspects of this case well. The criminal has either committed murder or not. He covers all the angles and then gives the deposition of the case. It is told very well .

[Diane Waddington · Rating 5 out of 5]

good book loved the way it was so suspenseful can't believe he got away with that long.

[John Morrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read

I had trouble putting this book down. Well written. Even handed. Gave me new insights into the tea radical pro-life movement.

[Cait · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although a very in-depth look at James Kopp and the timeline behind his crimes, I felt this book was a bit too plodding and dense to be worth the read. I finished it out of sheer stubbornness.

[Henri Moreaux · Rating 3 out of 5]

James Kopp is a representation of everything that is wrong with the world today - regardless of whether you believe in God, Allah, the Flying Spaghetti Monster or a giant floating banana in the sky only you can see no one should force their religious views (or lack thereof) on to others whether through lobbying, legislation or violence.

James Kopp took it upon himself to shoot 5 Doctors who performed abortions under the guise that this would "save" unborn children, the final shooting resulting in death and Mr Kopp going on the lam.

This book covers briefly covers his early life, provides an overview of the anti-abortion (or pro-life) movement, goes over Mr Kopp's increasing activism and the shootings themselves. Following this it covers his flight from justice and the international man hunt which resulted in him finally being arrested in France after narrowly escaping being arrested in Ireland. The final chapters are then dedicated to the trials of James Kopp & two associates who helped enable him to remain on the run.

I read this book not out of interest of the man, but of the circumstances surrounding the case, I found that this aspect is well covered. If you're looking for a pro-life or pro-choice book this isn't it - this book gives the facts, it's up to you to read what you want from them.

That being said however, I think most rational people would agree going on a shooting spree does not aid your cause; history has also shown the violence of the pro-life movement to have been utterly ineffectual.

[Brian Walter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read about a man who takes his beliefs to the highest possible level. Wells does a good job of explaining James Kopp and his possible motives with a balanced perspective so the reader can make their own decision. Excellent job on the investigative side of things as well. Overall an entertaining and informative read.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting look into the mind of a self righteous sniper.

[Erika Nerdypants · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well researched and written, but I didn't care for it as much as some of his earlier ones. I'm drawn to his books because of local history, and there wasn't a whole lot of that in here.