Baltimore Pastor In Charleston During AME Shooting
BALTIMORE (WJZ)--A Baltimore pastor was in Charleston when shots were fired inside the Emanuel AME Church.
Pastor Donte Hickman was at a different service the moment shots rang out, but police--fearing their could be more violence targeting area churches-- evacuated his.
Mary Bubala has more.
Baltimore Pastor Donte Hickman was at a church just miles from the Emanuel AME Church where a gunman opened fire killing nine people.
"We were interrupted in the service with a message that a gunman had been targeting churches," Hickman said."We prayed and then we were led by the police or protected by the police as we exited the church, some 1,000 people. It was said that the gunman may have been targeting churches that were in service that evening so the police made their way to where we were."
It was just months ago, Pastor Hickman watched his senior housing and resource center that was under construction go up in flames in East Baltimore as the looting and riots spread across parts of the city after Freddie Gray's funeral.
Since that time, Pastor Hickman has led prayer services trying to help the community heal.
He says he will extend his hand now in South Carolina to do the same thing as that community deals with this horrific crime.
"It was just so ironic the message that he was preaching. The threat to the church, and the faith that the church has to continue to provide and persist with in times of darkness and evil like this."
Pastor Hickman was attending a church leadership conference in Charleston along with Baltimore-based Bishop Kenneth Robinson.
A pray vigil is scheduled tonight at 7:00 p.m. at the Bethel AME Church.