St Louis police have arrested an individual in connection with a spate of arson cases at predominantly black churches.

The suspect, a 35-year-old black male, was taken into custody on Thursday, said Schron Jackson, spokesperson for the St Louis police department.

Church leaders 'expected more of a response' to spate of fires near Ferguson Read more

“If/when warrants are issued, we [will] release a booking photo and warrant information,” Jackson told the Guardian. The St Louis Post-Dispatch first reported the arrest and, citing an unnamed police source, said the suspect may receive criminal charges as early as Friday afternoon.

Police officials later announced at a press conference Friday that St Louis resident David Lopez Jackson was charged with two counts of second-degree arson in the fires at Ebenezer Lutheran Church and New Life Missionary Baptist Church. Both occurred on October 17. The 35-year-old was ordered held by a judge on a $75,000 cash only bond.

Cautioning that the investigation is ongoing, St Louis police chief Sam Dotson said at a press conference on Friday: “Hopefully more charges will be coming.”

Jackson is considered a suspect in the other incidents, Dotson said.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest David Lopez Jackson Photograph: St Louis police department

The weekslong investigation has shown no indication of a hate crime or that any religious or ethic group was targeted in the arsons, according to the federal bureau of alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives, which has led the joint-investigation with the St Louis regional bomb and arson unit, along with the St Louis fire department fire investigation unit.

“Arson is a violent crime,” said Gregory Gant, ATF Kansas City field division special agent in charge, in a statement. “ATF views an arson attack against a house of worship as an attack on not just a building, but against a community. We work shoulder to shoulder with our state and local partners to bring those responsible to justice.”

Law enforcement officials have said the fires have been “relatively small in nature”, with similar details found in each. The churches are within a few miles of each other, near Ferguson, Missouri – however, officials have cautioned that it’s too early in the investigation to speculate on whether the incidents are related to the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was killed last year by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. A grand jury later declined to bring charges against Wilson.

Nonetheless, parishioners and officials described the string of incidents that began 8 October as a “disturbing pattern”, given that the majority African American churches are clustered in an area near Ferguson. The alleged arsonist apparently deviated from the pattern last week, however, when a historic church near downtown with a predominately white congregation was hit by a minor fire.

The rash of fires for weeks puzzled investigators, who said it was “frustrating” not to have a suspect or motive.

A minister of an affected church told the Guardian he sensed “lethargy” in his community on the city’s north side, as he anticipated “more of a response” from the faith community to the fires.

“A number of the congregation are people who lived through an era where church fires were not taken seriously by the authorities,” the Rev Rodrick Burton told the Guardian, describing the New Northside Missionary Baptist church’s working-class neighborhood. “I got folks from Arkansas, my mother’s from Alabama; for some of the people, they’re waiting to see what is the motivation [behind the fires].”



It’s too early to tell if race has played a part in the alleged arsonist’s motive, Burton said.

“But I say that it could’ve [done more] for race relations in this area … if people in the majority culture reached out and said, ‘We’re concerned about this happening in the African American community,’” he said.

Burton was heartened, however, by the response from the one majority white church affected by the fires, Shrine of St Joseph.

On Sunday, the Reverend Dale Wunderlich asked congregants to consider a donation for the other damaged churches on the city’s north side, most of which lacked insurance to cover the cost of repairs. Volunteers passed out collection baskets that were promptly filled.

“We are now part of a bigger picture,” the St Louis resident told his congregation at the beginning of service on Sunday.

He added: “It seems to me that we can’t sit back and do nothing.”