Police release new images of men accused of robbing bishop at gunpoint during live streamed service
New York police released new images and video this week of the men accused of robbing a bishop during a live streamed sermon on Sunday. Police said the men stole $1 million worth of jewelry from Bishop Lamor Whitehead and his wife, Bishop Asia DosReis-Whitehead.
"I'm excited, and I'm hoping and praying that they catch all three of them," Whitehead told CBS New York. "I'm sure the community that they're from, I'm sure someone will recognize them."
The images show three men in black clothing with their faces mostly covered. The 19-second video shows them walking toward a building minutes before the robbery occurred, police said.
The NYPD said that just before 11:15 a.m. on Sunday, three men entered the Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministry in Brooklyn while Whitehead was live streaming a church service. The men "displayed firearms and demanded property" from the 44-year-old and his 38-year-old wife before taking their jewelry, police said.
"I said, 'Alright, alright, alright,' pretty much stating that I'm not going to do anything because I know you're coming for me. You're coming straight to me. I don't want my parishioners hurt. I've got women and children there," Whitehead said, according to CBS New York.
"As I got down, one went to my wife and took all her jewelry and had the gun in front of my 8-month-old baby's face," Whitehead added. "Took off my bishop's ring, my wedding band and took off my bishop's chain, and then I had chains underneath my robe and he started tapping my neck to see if anything else. So that means they knew. They watched and they knew that I have other jewelry."
Whitehead said he had about 100 congregants in the room who are now "traumatized" by the experience, CBS New York reported. He has given the NYPD $50,000 as an award for information leading to the suspects' apprehension, the station said.
Anyone with information on the robbery is instructed to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.