Bishop Protects Congregants When "Massive Shooting" Takes Place After Service
The last thing a person expects when leaving church on a Sunday is for two cars to be barreling down the street shooting at each other like in a 1930s gangster style movie. But that’s precisely what happened at Reformation of Holiness Church in Milwaukee this past Sunday.
Initially, congregants heard gunfire just up the street from the church. Bishop Henry Kilpatrick and one of the church deacons looked outside to see what was going on.
In that quick moment, one car was chasing another down to where the church was located. The car in front opened fire on the one in back.
“There was a massive shooting right here. Me and one of the deacons began to push the people back on inside and tell them to hit the floor, get down on the floor, and they got down on the floor,” Kilpatrick told WISN 12 News.
Kilpatrick has been leading the church for 24 years. He and his late wife, Rose, founded it. It’s one of the roughest areas in Milwaukee.
In fact, Kilpatrick said there were several shootings that had taken place over the past several days. But the one on Sunday was the worst.
There were nearly 20 shell casings that investigators found only feet away from the church’s front stoop, and more down the block. Amazingly, no one was injured.
Kilpatrick says the area is a high crime area, and there are lots of kids who live in the area. He’d like to see the police patrol the area more frequently, and for residents to be more willing to speak up and tell police when questionable activity is going on.
He wants to stay there and doesn’t want to move the church because he feels called to the area.
“Most people would run away from an area like this. But this is an area God wants us in. An area you can witness to somebody and help better somebody else’s life,” he said.
