Suspect's mom: Son sought priest's apology

Tamara Stokes says she is concerned about her son, Dontee Stokes, whom police say confessed to shooting a priest who allegedly molested him in 1993.

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(CNN) -- A Baltimore, Maryland, man confessed that he shot a priest who allegedly molested him nine years ago, police said.

Dontee Stokes, 26, has been charged with attempted murder, assault in the first and second degrees and several handgun violations in the Monday shooting of the Rev. Maurice Blackwell, a Baltimore priest. Blackwell, 56, is in serious condition at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center.

CNN's Connie Chung interviewed the suspect's mother, Tamara Stokes, and the Rev. Russell Johnson, a Baltimore minister, on Tuesday evening.

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CHUNG: I'm with the family and friends of Dontee Stokes. I can tell you that in talking to them, they are a deeply religious family, and they are shocked at what's happened.

I'll talk with his mother first, Tamara. Mrs. Stokes, thank you so much for joining us. Did your son ever talk about harming Father Blackwell?

STOKES: No, he did not.

CHUNG: Well, how did he handle this alleged molestation?

STOKES: He read the Bible, and he just prayed and looked over newspapers.

CHUNG: You mean the newspaper accounts of accusations against him, including his?

STOKES: Yes. He had his family for support behind him.

CHUNG: When he'd read those articles, what would happen to him?

STOKES: He would get very upset, and he would sometimes get out of control. ... He was left in a different state of mind.

CHUNG: What do you think he wanted from Father Blackwell, because he went there [Monday] night, went to his home?

STOKES: He wanted an apology from him. That's all he wanted. That's what he asked for.

CHUNG: Do you know what happened when he asked him for an apology?

STOKES: From my hearing was that he was brushed off and laughed at that night. That evening he was brushed off.

CHUNG: Was he concerned about an apology for himself?

STOKES: He was concerned for an apology for himself.

CHUNG: But was there any other reason why he wanted to confront Father Blackwell?

STOKES: None that I know of, just for an apology.

CHUNG: Was he concerned about other children?

STOKES: He was very much concerned about other children. He was in a youth group when he was 13. He was the president of the youth group at St. Edward's [Catholic Church], and he remained with St. Edward's up until he was 17, dealing with the church and the organizations dealing with kids.

CHUNG: Right after the shooting occurred, he walked to a church and he came in, Pastor Russell Johnson, just as you were delivering a sermon, correct?

JOHNSON: Correct.

CHUNG: And when he did -- after he came up to the altar, he confessed to you. What exactly did he say?

JOHNSON: After he came down to the altar, he asked that we might lead him in prayer because he decided to accept Christ as his personal savior. The things that transpired was as a result of the statement that I told him that was recorded in the Bible: "If any man be in Christ, he's a new preacher. The old things are passed away and all things become new."

CHUNG: That's when he cried?

JOHNSON: This is when he began to cry.

CHUNG: So then what did he say to you?

JOHNSON: He just said, "I wish to confess my sins, and I wish Christ to come into my life. ..."

CHUNG: Did he actually tell you that he had shot someone?

JOHNSON: He did not tell me that at the altar. He asked for a private consultation.

CHUNG: And at that time?

JOHNSON: And at that particular time, he divulged the information as to the crime that he had committed.

CHUNG: Did you encourage him to go to the police? Did you ask him to do that?

JOHNSON: No, he volunteered and said that he desired to go to the police. The only thing that I did was I accompanied him, but he had already purposed it in his mind that that was where he was going to travel.

CHUNG: What was his state of mind, would you say? How would you describe him?

JOHNSON: He was very calm. He was very well within his mind, and he valiantly and courageously said, "I must give an account for what I've done."

CHUNG: Was he at all remorseful?

JOHNSON: He did say, "I am sorry that this has happened, and I'm sorry that it had to come to this," and so as a result of that, he desired to turn himself in, and he did nothing but give the greatest of cooperation to our police department of Baltimore.

CHUNG: Finally, Mrs. Stokes, did Father Blackwell deserve to be shot?

STOKES: No, Father Blackwell did not deserve to be shot, but from the outrage of my son and the anger that he felt, I just can't say what was going on through my son's mind at that time. So, what happened, happened due to a reason because God brought it forth.

CHUNG: What do you think will happen to your son now?

STOKES: With the prayers and love of those that know what is going on and support, he will make it through, and he will come clear from all these charges and the charges that have been brought against him will be dropped because he just wasn't in his right state of mind when this had happened, due to all the publication that was going on throughout the weeks.

CHUNG: What do you mean? I'm sure people are wondering why did it happen now?

STOKES: Dontee had heard so much news -- confrontation about nothing had happened in Baltimore concerning any priests ... which I think triggered him, and I think this had, you know, just the news media, just opened up everything really strong within his mind.

CHUNG: Tell me, you had confronted the parishioners because you were upset that Father Blackwell was still the head of that ministry, but the parishioners didn't respond. They wanted him back despite various allegations against him.

STOKES: That is correct. I went up to the church. I wore a black and white ribbon -- the ribbon stands for, white stands for purity and black stands for the darkness when a child gets molested. He goes into hiding. I went up there and stressed it, and I confronted the parishioners and said, "This church does not need this priest back in here, you know. You need to look at the facts. People need to come forward."

It's a crime to hide when a pastor is supposed to be holy and pure when he takes a vow, and he is supposed to live by that vow.

CHUNG: Thank you so much, Mrs. Stokes, and Pastor Johnson. [Wednesday], there will be a bail hearing.

STOKES: Right.

CHUNG: Will your son get out on bail, do you think? Will you be able to bring him home?

STOKES: I hope that I will bring him home. With positive attitude, he is coming home. He is coming home.

CHUNG: Thank you so much for being with us. We appreciate it. Father Blackwell is apparently stable at this moment.

STOKES: I don't know the condition of Father Blackwell. The only condition that I am concerned with is the condition of my son at this time.