Man gunned down as he was leaving Louisville church service

Kate Talerico | Courier Journal

Bennie Berry, a 43-year-old “servant leader” at the Elim Baptist Church, was gunned down by an unknown killer in view of church members as he left Sunday afternoon services.

"It just brings up a lot of questions — concern for the pastor, concern for the church, and concern for the community that something can happen on the sacred day, in a sacred place — with someone coming out of the church in broad daylight with a total disregard for human life," said David Snardon, president of the Interdenominational Ministerial Coalition of Louisville.

Berry died at the University of Louisville emergency room at around 2 p.m., 30 minutes after the shooting outside the church at 3114 Greenwood Ave. in the Parkland neighborhood, the coroner’s office said. Louisville police are investigating the case.

Dr. Eddie Woods, director of No More Red Dots who works with reformed people with criminal backgrounds, said that Berry was a man with target on his back.

"Kind of an unwritten rule that a person coming out of church ... you get a pass," Woods said. "Even if you’re looking for me, you get me another time."

Woods suspected that the dispute was over something that Berry had done, but he said he did not know Berry well. He worries there may be some levels of retaliation, or that this shooting could lead people to emulate that kind of violence.

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The pastor of Elim Baptist Church is Vincent James, who is Mayor Greg Fischer's chief of community building, which serves as a key anti-violence role in the administration. James oversees the city's Office of Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods, which was created to coordinate violence prevention programs at the grassroots level.

The office was established six years ago in reaction to a triple homicide in the Parkland neighborhood.

Berry’s death marks the 54th homicide in the city this year, according to Louisville Metro Police spokesperson Dwight Mitchell. And Councilwoman Jessica Green said Berry was shot as he was walking out of church to his car.

"It’s not just one person that gets shot and no other people are affected," Green told the Courier Journal. "There’s an entire community of people who are absolutely devastated right now."

Green, a Democrat who represents the western Louisville district, said, "It literally makes me physically ill when there’s a shooting or a homicide, particularly in District 1."

Snardon said that other churches are standing behind the Elim Baptist Church as they work through the trauma.

"Crimes are not just committed against individuals, they are committed against communities," Snardon said.

A prayer service will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the church, 3114 Greenwood Ave.

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Green said the church is bringing in therapists to work with some of the children who saw the shooting.

"There is so much work that is being poured into the neighborhood, that’s why it’s just disgusting," she added.

She said that Elim Baptist Church runs tutoring programs for young men of color and often works in tandem with the Parkland Boys and Girls Club.

"Setbacks like this occur, but when you think about how impactful (James has) been at this corner, the best is yet to come," she said.

James did not immediately return a request for comment.

Reach reporter Kate Talerico at ktalerico@gannett.com, 502-582-4352 or follow her on Twitter at @k_talerico.