THERE IS A DEVIL LOOSE! PASTOR CLEMMIE LIVINGSTON JR. OF NEW ZIONFIELD BAPTIST CHURCH IN MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, WHO WAS SHOT IN THE FACE AT HIS CHURCH, IS “SHOCKED” THAT THE SHOOTER’S CHARGES HAVE BEEN DROPPED.
DANIEL WHYTE III, PRESIDENT OF GOSPEL LIGHT SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL, SAYS PRAY FOR PASTOR CLEMMIE LIVINGSTON AND PRAY FOR THE SALVATION OF THE INDIVIDUAL WHO DID THE SHOOTING
Several charges have been dropped in the case of an 18-year-old arrested in connection with the shooting of Pastor Clemmie Livingston Jr. of New Zionfield Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee.
On Sunday, Feb. 25, Livingston, 71, was critically injured while witnessing a car theft happening outside his church. Shortly after the shooting, Livingston’s wife, Gwendoline, told FOX13 that Livingston heard car alarms and went to investigate. He was shot in the mouth as he was walking out the door.
The assailants drove off in a stolen 2019 Chevrolet Corvette.
While initial reports suggested that Livingston had been attempting to stop the theft, Gwendoline said that he never had the opportunity.
“He never talked to anybody,” Gwendoline said. “He never went to anybody. He didn’t try to stop anything. He didn’t deserve that. He didn’t confront anybody.”
“When the bullet hit, it shattered his entire jaw,” Gwendoline said of Livingston’s injury. “So where that bone is supposed to be straight, it’s like a lot of little pieces of rocks, so that’s unrepairable.”
No one has been charged with shooting Livingston, but R’shunio Greer was charged with theft and aggravated robbery after police reportedly found pictures on Greer’s phone of Greer in the car that was stolen on the day Livingston was shot.
According to FOX13, police discovered the photos after arresting Greer on May 17 in connection with unrelated auto burglary and aggravated assault cases. Police said that Greer admitted to being present on the day of the shooting.
All told, Greer had racked up 14 felony charges and six misdemeanor charges across several cases. Now, 12 of the felony charges, including the aggravated robbery from the day of Livingston’s shooting, have been dismissed due to lack of prosecution or lack of evidence. Four misdemeanors have also been dropped.
A spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office said that witnesses failed to appear for a hearing. The district attorney will investigate why the witnesses were unavailable to testify before deciding what charges can still be pursued.
Remarkably, Livingston not only survived the shooting but returned to the pulpit on Easter Sunday, March 31—just five weeks after being shot.
“A few weeks ago, my faith was tested. A faith that cannot be tested cannot be trusted,” Livingston said during that sermon. “I had to hold on to the faith when I was struck by a stray bullet. Don’t know where it came from. I just saw myself going down on my knees.”
As Livingston recounted the harrowing experience, he said that he thought he was going to die. But he recalled feeling God’s presence.
“When you’re rooted in the Lord, you can feel his presence. I felt the presence of the Lord,” Livingston said.
In March, Livingston spoke about his hope that his assailants would be rehabilitated rather than simply locked up. He also said the ordeal increased his awareness of the connection between poverty and crime and that he intends to spend more time in the community providing opportunities for young men.
“Get your life straight,” Livingston said of his assailants. “Some of these young men, they haven’t been given an opportunity to get jobs, to buy their own car.”
“Help these guys. Teach them how to put a roof on. Teach them how to lay bricks,” he added. “That’s my plan. Teach them all these things. Whatever it takes. Stop the killing.”
Livingston can be seen preaching via his church’s Facebook livestream as recently as Father’s Day, June 16.