Crystal Cathedral

Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove on Wednesday, knelt down at the foot of a cross and fatally shot himself in the head. The man entered the sanctuary about 9:40 a.m. and gave a handwritten note to a church volunteer. He then walked to the front of the pews, knelt before the cross and removed a semiautomatic handgun from his backpack.

He put the weapon to his head and pulled the trigger, Garden Grove Police Lt. Dennis Ellsworth said. Although Smick's last known address was in Whittier, he was homeless and had been living out of his pickup, according to Garden Grove police, who believe that he stole the handgun used in the shooting from a friend a couple of weeks ago. "That suggests to us he had some type of plan," Capt. Mike Handfield said. "But we haven't talked to anyone who heard he was going to kill himself."

A friend told police that Smick had attended a Bible study in Temecula several weeks before his death. "He was spiritual, but we don't have any record of him being a member at the church," Handfield said. "I said, 'Good morning, welcome to the Crystal Cathedral.' " She asked the man, "Where are you from?" He replied, "Oh, from around here." He handed Spicer a folded note written with a felt-tip pen. Tucked into the middle of the note was his driver's license and what appeared to be a business card. As Smick was walking down the aisle, she began reading the note, which referred to a truck in the parking lot and a gun.