GASTONIA, N.C. — A man is facing charges after a deadly shooting at a Gastonia church Sunday afternoon, police said.
Gastonia police responded to a shooting at Faith Hope and Love Community Enrichment Ministries Inc. on North Oakland Street around 3 p.m. Sunday. When officers arrived, they found 57-year-old Freddie Lee Byrd dead from a gunshot wound. Investigators determined that Byrd and the suspect, 56-year-old Donald Ray Beatty, both lived at Faith Hope and Love in neighboring tents.
Beatty was arrested at the scene and charged with first-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a felon.
Faith Hope and Love is a community enrichment group that assists homeless individuals.
"We feed people here every day, we let them get their mail here and let them take showers here," Pastor Moses Colbert, the head of Faith Hope and Love, said. "We supply mental health and substance abuse counseling."
The organization was sued by the city of Gastonia earlier this year for allegedly failing to comply with multiple ordinances. City leaders told WCNC Charlotte they don't have a problem with the ministry serving the homeless, they just want them to follow the rules. Colbert said they are working to get everything in line and clean things up. He adds his group needs support from the city, not roadblocks.
"It could easily be me," Colbert said. "I had a couple of brothers pass away from being caught up in drug activity and I will never forget them. This is one way to always remember them."
Colbert said the shooting is an unfortunate incident but that is why they are asking for more resources so they can better care for those who call this encampment home and hire security to better protect them.
Byrd's family said he had fallen on hard times but was just trying to get his life back on track. They say they are devastated by this loss.
"He loved his family," said his sister, Deeta Wright. "You know, he was just out here trying to do the right thing. He had changed his life around."
Wright says her brother does have a criminal past but was on the right path.
"It wasn’t like he didn’t have a family," Pastor Monica Colbert said. "They would come to visit him and he would stay with them at times and he was well-loved and it is such a tragedy."
"He came to church when he was supposed to come to," Pastor Moses Colbert. "He didn’t cause any problems. He was pretty courteous."
Meanwhile, Gastonia City Councilman Robert Kellogg said he would like to see the ministry hire and train professionals to bring safety and order to the site.
"Once that happens the agencies and nonprofits that work with housing placement would come back," Kellogg said. "Ideally FHL should not be a permanent place for the residents, but a temporary one where individuals move up and out of homelessness."
He shared this statement:
"First and foremost, I want to offer my deepest sympathies to the friends and family of Freddie, who had his life violently taken yesterday. Additionally, the tragic events of Sunday are just the latest in a string of reported violent crimes, including sexual assaults and substance use overdoses at Faith Hope Love Ministries. I am not speaking for anyone else or any entity other than myself when I say that my utmost concern is for the personal well-being of those individuals who remain on that campus. I do not know of any other ministry in this city or this county that has almost daily overdose calls or sexual assault calls. I want to recognize the work our local law enforcement agencies and nonprofits are doing to both serve and protect as well as provide critical care to our most underserved and vulnerable citizens. My thoughts and prayers go out to all involved."
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