The man who police believe beat and robbed an Oklahoma City pastor has been arrested. Christopher Stone was apprehended while driving a stolen pickup last month. Police were alerted when their cameras marked the truck as stolen. Stone has been charged with viciously attacking a pastor in his church. He allegedly faked a medical episode to launch a surprise attack.
When police apprehended him, Stone said that the car belonged to a friend. He claimed he borrowed the truck, but couldn’t even pronounce his name. When police questioned him he floundered. The officer asked “Who?!” and “He’s a pastor somewhere?” When they asked Stone “Where’s he a pastor at? ” the alleged thief responded, “I forget the name of the church.”
Police contacted the truck’s owner. The truck was reported stolen just hours before. The owner was a pastor at a Church in Oklahoma City. He described seeing a man hanging around the church gazebo. The pastor reported that he had never seen the man before. The thief began knocking on the church’s windows and doors. He rushed inside and began assaulting the pastor.
The victim explained to police: “[Stone] punched him in his face repeatedly about 20 times.” The pastor described how after he fell to the ground the assault continued. Police radio chatter reads, “They said it was stolen out of OKC, right?.” Another officer replied, ” Yeah, by a force or fear of robbery. ” The theft was reported to authorities after Stone made off with his wallet and truck. He was taken to the hospital for treatment.
We reported last year, how another pastor was target in a robbery. A Memphis Tennessee pastor was shot after he tried to stop thieves who were stealing a car owned by a Sunday School teacher. The violent attack occurred on Sunday, February 25, at about 9 a.m., just before the Sunday morning service. Clemmie Livingston Jr., 70 preaches at The New Zionfield Baptist Church. The church took to Facebook to announce the attack.
In the post, the church wrote, “Keep Pastor Clemmie Livingston Jr In Prayer He Was Shot At Our Church This Morning… Right Now He Is In Surgery May God Touch The Doctors Hand …. My Dad Has Always Been A Fighter And I’m Praying He Keep On Keeping On……” In the immediate aftermath, the church announced he was fighting for life.
R’Shunio Greer, 18, was initially charged with aggravated robbery and theft of property, says WREG a local news outlet. He was also facing a bevy of gun possession charges. The teenager was tied to Livingston’s shooting after investigators reportedly found pictures of R’Shunio Greer in a car that was stolen from Livingston’s church, Zionfield Baptist Church in Memphis, the day the pastor was shot. Greer also allegedly admitted to driving away from the scene of the shooting.
“I was stunned when they said there were not any witnesses there, knowing that we were there,” Rev. Livingston said. “That was the thing that shocked me…I don’t let things disappoint me such as this,” he explained. “I feel like the judicial system, they do what they want to do anyway.” He added “I am sure that others will be brought in… If you listen to the guy’s statement, he says he didn’t do it. He says, ‘But I was with them.’ The question is, ‘Who is the them?”
Featured image: Screen shot from linked article.