STATEMENT FROM PRESIDING BISHOP J. DREW SHEARD
On Shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana
On behalf of the members of the Church of God in Christ, my brothers and sisters, I am heartbroken.
Eight children — three boys and five girls, ages 3 to 11 — are gone. Jayla. Shayla. Kayla. Layla. Markaydon. Sariahh. Khedarrion. Braylon. Their names deserve to be spoken. Their lives deserved to be lived.
These children appear to have been shot in their sleep, an act of evil so deep that no words are sufficient. We weep with every mother, every family member, and every person in Shreveport who woke up to a community forever changed.
This tragedy is a sobering reminder that domestic violence is a crisis in our communities, and the most innocent always bear the heaviest cost. The Church of God in Christ calls on every believer to pray, to act, and to protect the vulnerable in your midst.
“Suffer the little children to come unto me.” — Mark 10:14
Rest in God’s arms, little ones.
Bishop John Drew Sheard
Presiding Bishop and Chief Apostle
Church of God in Christ, Inc.
