Bishop's wife says she feared for her children during armed robbery caught on livestream at Brooklyn church
NEW YORK -- We're hearing from the second victim of an armed robbery that was caught on a livestream of a religious service in Brooklyn.
Monday, police said jewelry worth around $1 million was taken from a bishop and his wife. CBS2's Lisa Rozner spoke with the bishop Sunday after the robbery, and now his wife is talking about the experience.
The moment when Bishop Lamor Whitehead abruptly stopped his sermon is when, according to police, three men entered the 2nd-floor church space on Ramsen Avenue in Canarsie.
Whitehead dropped to the ground. The church livestream shows a man had a gun on the bishop and another removed his jewelry.
Off camera, his wife, Bishop Asia DosReis-Whitehead, said a gun was also held to her 8-month-old baby Brooklyn, who was in her arms while a suspect removed items including her wedding ring and episcopal jewelry.
"As a mother, as a wife and just myself personally in general, it's one of the most traumatic experiences that I've ever been involved in," DosReis-Whitehead said. "My priority was to secure my children, not only to secure them physically, but to secure my babies emotionally, to secure them mentally."
She said their 14-year-old daughter Heaven was also there. Heaven is OK.
Right after the heist, the livestream showed frazzled congregants trying to leave. Police sources said there were 25 parishioners and no security at that time.
Monday, Whitehead said he'll bring in a therapist for the congregation, and he's giving the NYPD $50,000 to go towards information leading to finding the suspects.
"Let the Holy Spirit arrest them. Let the Holy Spirit, come on, do something in their mind that would prompt them to want to change their life," said DosReis-Whitehead.
Sunday, Whitehead said he does not take a salary from the church and he believes his family was targeted because of the publicity he received in May when he showed up in a Fendi suit to help turn in the suspect wanted in the fatal subway shooting of 48-year-old Daniel Enriquez.
"The media called me 'the bling bling bishop,'" Whitehead said.
The NYPD says the suspects fled on foot and got into a white Mercedes-Benz. Fortunately, no one was injured.
Police have not confirmed the $50,000 reward for info leading an arrest of the suspects.
