On Sunday, three armed individuals waltzed up to the pulpit at Brooklyn's Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries church and robbed the bishop, Lamor M. Whitehead, of the $1 million in jewlery he and his wife were wearing. He's offered a $50,000 reward for their capture. The event was caught on livestream video. From the New York Times:
Mr. Whitehead appeared to spot the intruders as they entered the church and he lay down on the raised stage while raising his arms. "I didn't know if they wanted to shoot the church up, or if they were just coming for a robbery," he said in the Instagram post. Shrieks could be heard from the parishioners. It was unclear how many people were in attendance.
He described lying on the ground with a gun pointed at him and subsequently being stripped of belongings, including his watch, multiple chains, wedding band and bishop's cross. He said the assailants wrenched off his clergy collar to reach his necklaces[…]
[In an Instagram post following the robbery,] Mr. Whitehead also responded to criticism calling him "flashy" for his accessories and his Rolls-Royce.
"It's about me purchasing what I want to purchase," Mr. Whitehead said. "It's my prerogative to purchase what I want to purchase if I worked hard for it."
