An Arkansas street preacher who spends Sundays sharing the Gospel was reportedly shot last weekend by a young man who was trying to take his microphone.
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The Rev. Larry Oneal Walker is recovering after the shocking ordeal — and has even offered forgiveness to the man who allegedly shot him, 20-year-old Latarryes Bush, according to KTHV-TV.
Walker was reportedly in the same spot he always preaches on June 2 in North Little Rock when Bush allegedly tried to take his microphone. When Walker wouldn’t give it up, he was reportedly shot.
“When officers arrived on scene, they located one adult male victim lying on the ground, suffering from at least one gunshot wound,” North Little Rock Police Department said in a statement, noting the preacher is now recovering.
According to Walker, the suspect immediately looked “like he was sorry” and embarrassed over the incident. But while the preacher could harbor anger over what unfolded, he’s offering forgiveness.
“It doesn’t make no difference how bad you’ve been,” Walker told KTHV-TV. “This young boy shot me to death and I’m going out there and I’m going to embrace him and give him $5 if he let me do it and a nice hot meal.”
Plus, Walker said he’s undeterred in his mission to spread the Gospel, with plans to return to the same spot regardless of what happened there.
“The almighty said He so loved the world that he gave his son,” he said. “God almighty gave his son to die because of people on the planet so that’s my main objection.”
Meanwhile, Bush was arrested and charged with one count of criminal attempt to commit capital murder, one count of aggravated robbery, one count of first degree batters, one count of a felon in possession of a firearm, and one count of possession of a controlled substance schedule 6 (Marijuana) with purpose to deliver, with authorities claiming the suspect admitted to the crime during an interview.
“During the investigation, Mr. Bush admitted to detectives his involvement in the shooting,” a police statement reads. “Additionally, detectives advised that this incident stemmed from the victim refusing to hand over a piece of his property to the suspect.”
Bush is being held without bond.
As CBN News reported, Walker isn’t the first street preacher of late to experience gun violence while sharing the Gospel. Hans Schmidt, a 26-year-old dad of two, a military combat veteran, and the outreach director at Victory Chapel First Phoenix in Arizona, was shot in November and has faced a harrowing recovery.
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