Baptist
Three Dead; Families Devastated
By: Jeff Fuller
As I decorate the porch of our
house with Christmas lights, wreaths and tinsel, my sweet daughter of twelve
works beside me, my mind is preoccupied with the ongoing struggle of others
during such a joyful time.
Within the state of Alabama, we
have seen various accidents which have claimed the lives of others, here at the
beginning of the holidays. On one day,
two died in automobile accidents in our own county and a total of seven in the
same twenty-four hour period. In the
adjoining county a deputy and three teenagers died as a result of a horrific
crash the following Sunday evening.
Accidents aside, the obituaries
of the surrounding areas list name after name of folks who have died due to
illness or age.
Whether individuals die from an
accident and unexpectedly or from a prolonged illness, the results are the
same. There will be family members who
suffer, friends and family will mourn, and each will struggle the process of
death.
Yet, there seems to be more
grief and more sorrow when such happens at a holiday time. There seems to be something of a true
devastating pain at times like this.
My heart, mind, prayers are for
those families in Florida. It is
reported that a man ran up to his pastor and shot him four times in the
courtyard of the church facility. Yet,
while the deputies were headed to the church to investigate the possible
murder, they were notified that two other individuals with direct ties to the
church were found dead.
Forty-eight hours later the
individual who shot and killed the pastor was taken into custody not far from
the church facility without incident.
Witnesses saw him murder the pastor and he will be questioned in the death
of the other two found dead at the time he was leaving his pastor to die.
The other two individuals were
identified as the shooters wife and a family friend. His wife was a staff member of the
church. Such a sad story out of
Bradenton this week.
These two articles give some of
the media’s take on the deaths and arrest of the perpetrator.
Pastor, Church Employee Among 3 Killed in Florida
BRADENTON, Fla.
(AP) — Authorities say a man killed his wife and another woman and then headed
to the Bradenton, Florida, church where his wife worked and fatally shot the
pastor.
The Manatee County
Sheriff's Office says 33-year-old Adres "Andy" Avalos fatally shot
Pastor James "Tripp" Battle at the Bayshore Baptist Church on
Thursday afternoon. While at that scene, deputies learned about the other two
victims from a witness to the shooting.
They went to the
house and found the bodies of Amber Avalos and another woman whose name hasn't
been released. Amber Avalos worked at the church as its nursery and children's
director. The Avaloses have six children.
Detectives say Andy
Avalos was last seen near the church driving a gold Chevrolet Suburban.
Bradenton is about
35 miles south of Tampa along Florida's Gulf coast.
Florida triple-murder suspect
caught near church of slain pastor
Andres Avalos, 33, has been captured by
Manatee County Sheriff’s Office at a mobile home park in Bradenton, Florida
near Bayshore Baptist Church where its pastor, James Battle, was found dead.
Avalos is also suspected of killing his wife, Amber Avalos, and neighbor,
Denise Potter.
Triple murder suspect Andres “Andy” Avalos has been caught in Florida after
allegedly killing his wife, pastor and neighbor Thursday.
Deputies found the 33-year-old hiding out at the Pine Haven Mobile Home
Park which is only two blocks from the Bayshore Baptist Church where Avalos
allegedly killed Pastor James Battle, the Bradenton Herald reported.
The suspect spent two days on the run after Manatee County Sheriff’s Office
found the bodies of his wife, Amber Avalos, and neighbor, Denise Potter.
His wife’s relative is not surprised by Avalos’ suspected crimes.
The killings may have been motivated by domestic situation and were not
random, Sheriff’s spokesman Dave Bristow said.
“The pastor saw this coming," Sheriff Brad Steube said of Battle’s
death. Avalos reportedly shot the 31-year-old down during a face-to-face
confrontation outside the church.
His death sent deputies to his Bradenton home where they found both his wife’s
and Potter’s bodies.
The couple had been married for 15 years, records show. Avalos’ wife,
Amber, had also been the church’s nursery and children’s director.
The search for Avalos spurred a $15,000 reward by the Gold Star Club of
Manatee County for his arrest.
Authorities also locked down several schools where the couple’s six
children attended.
That is not
all…There is also a church which has shown remarkable growth in the past few
years. One report I found was that the
church has grown from 30 to 100, becoming a loving, caring body of
believers. With that in mind there are a
large group of people who are trying to find their way through this tragic
time. A minister who was a former member
of the church will fly in to preside over services tomorrow, attempting to give
comfort and hope from the Word of God.
Such a sad
thing…
These are the
things which have come to mind and all of it seemed to roll into three
reminders for me.
One is that
this is also my family. As Baptist we
are all a part of each other. The Bible
says that when one mourns, all mourns.
Even though Bayshore and the town of Bradenton is far from Rockford, we
are still family. We are in this
together.
Secondly,
prayers and support is what the church needs at this time. Bayshore does not need speculation and condemnation;
they need the family of Baptist and the entire Christian community to rally
around them, pray for them and hold them in the hands of a loving, almighty,
caring, kind, compassionate Father.
Thirdly, as
believers we need to be aware that there are always those around us who are
contemplating drastic measures. We must
be on the lookout for those who are going through problems, struggles,
financial difficulties, and the like so we might be able to intercede before an
incident takes place which would shake and shackle us in the aftermath.
My prayers are
with these families and I ask that you join me as we seek the solace and
strength of God on their behalf.
No comments:
Post a Comment