Singer–Swapp standoff

The Singer-Swapp Standoff was a January, 1988 incident when a Mormon fundamentalist group led by Addam Swapp and his mother-in-law, Vickie Singer, bombed a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel[1] in Marion, Utah.

The standoff ended after a shootout on January 28, which left a Utah Department of Corrections Lieutenant, Fred House, dead.

[6] Eventually, John and Vickie Singer were charged with neglect and child abuse as they were found to not be adequately educating their children.

In this instance, three Utah Highway Patrol officers dressed as reporters from the LA Times tackled him, before the family came to his aid and he was able to free a hand to pull out a gun.

[10][self-published source][11] Addam Swapp was born on 6 April 1961 in Salt Lake City, Utah to conservative Mormon parents.

[14] The day after the bombing, Vickie Singer's son-in-law, Roger Bates, was allowed by investigators to visit the compound, returning to explain that the family had no intention of surrendering.

Before the bombing, Swapp had placed a spear with nine feathers tied to it (supposedly signifying the nine years since Singer's death) into the ground near the church.

Footprints left in the snow led straight from the spear back to the Singer estate, confirming investigators' suspicions.

[3][14] Addam Swapp claimed to have received a revelation from God that he must complete these actions in order to put into motion the events that would lead to the resurrection of his father-in-law.

[13] Similar to the standoff at Ruby Ridge, the Singers were ready to defend themselves to the death if necessary, reportedly believing that the entire nation was on the verge of collapse.

[4] By the third day, family members were observed on the property collecting wood while officials waited, looking to find a way to bring the standoff to a peaceful conclusion.

[14] On Monday, 25 January, officials sent in Ogden Kraut, a fellow fundamentalist and friend of the Singer family to serve as a mediator.

[13] The family again refused to cooperate, explaining only that the ordeal must escalate into a violent conflict in order for Swapp's earlier revelation to come to pass.

By this time, the family had endured nine days under siege as officers had not only cut off their water and electricity, but also bombarded them with bright lights and loud noises during the night.

[1] In 2015, both Addam Swapp and his wife, Charlotte Singer[18][self-published source] sat down for interviews with the Sacred Groves Network, a group dedicated to sharing stories of people who left Mormonism to find something different.