Bishop Lamor Whitehead of Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries, who was robbed at gunpoint in the middle of a sermon last Sunday in Brooklyn, New York, has said that pastors should be able to get permits for pistols.
Bishop Whitehead was reacting to horrible incident which was captured on video. He told newsmen that five to ten minutes into the sermon, he saw the door in the back of the room kicked open and three to four men walked in with guns.
In his words:
“I said, ‘Alright, alright, alright,’ pretty much stating that I’m not going to do anything because I know you’re coming for me. You’re coming straight to me. I don’t want my parishioners hurt. I’ve got women and children there.
“As I got down, one went to my wife and took all her jewelry and had the gun in front of my 8-month-old baby’s face. He took off my bishop’s ring, my wedding band and took off my bishop’s chain, and then I had chains underneath my robe and he started tapping my neck to see if anything else. So that means they knew. They watched and they knew that I have other jewelry.”
As can be ascertained from the church’s live stream, the gun was held on the pastor who lay flat on the floor. What was, however, not seen on camera are around 100 congregants who were in the room. Men, women and children dropped to the floor in silence.
“They had guns on my deacons that was at the door,” said Bishop Whitehead asserting that his church is traumatized. “The women and children are still crying. Babies are still crying,” he said.
According to police, the men took off in a white Mercedes and then authorities have a license plate while witnesses saw the men change clothes outside.
“These men, they need to turn themselves in… I forgive you and I’m praying for you, and I hope that God delivers you from the mindset of who you are at this time,” the Bishop admonished the robbers who are still at large.
Whitehead believes his family was targeted because of the publicity he received when he helped turn in the suspect wanted in the fatal subway shooting of 48-year-old Daniel Enriquez in May.
“I turned him in, but the media called me ‘the bling, bling bishop.’ They had my Rolls-Royce caw all over everywhere, and I feel that that played a part in this… I think all pastors should be able to get permits for pistols,” Bishop Whitehead concluded.
The NYPD is investigating and Whitehead said Mayor Eric Adams and top police officers have called him pledging support to find the suspects.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the mayor said:
“No one in this city should be the victim of armed robbery, let alone our faith leaders and congregants worshiping in a House of God. The NYPD is investigating this crime and will work tirelessly to bring the criminals involved to justice.”