Gunman robs parishioners and reverend inside church

MIAMI (WSVN) -- Police are searching for a gunman who entered a church and robbed its parishioners and their reverend.

The gunman stormed in as the congregation was just showing up for Sunday worship at Jordan Grove Missionary Baptist Church on Northwest 59th Street and 12th Avenue in Liberty City.

As Rev. Douglas Cook and a group of ushers gathered at a meeting, they looked up to see a revolver pointed at them with a masked man standing at the other end of it. "'Empty your pockets,'" Cook said, repeating what the robber told them, "so they emptied their pockets."

"When I looked up there was a man with a gun," recalled Robert Kelsey, one of the ushers.

The reverend said the man not only took off with his money but also his car keys, which he used to take off in his car. "All last night. I couldn't forget that," Cook said.

The bandit forced all of them to the floor before he fled with about $600, Cook said. "Picked up all the other money from the other people, and then he said, 'I'm gone, but I'm coming back.'"

"I thought I was dreaming," Kelsey said.

Police are outraged that a crook would have such little regard for a church. "They were inside a house of worship," said Miami Police Officer Jeffrey Giordano, "I mean, a place they deem safe. This is just a horrible crime."

Kelsey took it all in perspective. "I really wasn't scared, but I didn't sleep last night, either."

The pastor just wants to see this man arrested. "We don't need people walking the streets like that, observing everything people are doing in the churches and in their homes and then trying to find a way to take advantage of them. You don't live long that way. You're not going to last long," Cook said.

Police said they are looking for a black man, possibly between the ages of 17 and 20 years old, weighing 150 pounds, standing about 5 foot 7 inches tall. He had a red bandanna over his face at the time.

The pastors' car he is accused of stealing is still missing. It is a 2005 green Lincoln Town Car with a tan top. It has Florida tags 073 IUS. Police also said there may have been a second man standing outside acting as a lookout.

If you have any information on who may have robbed this church and its parishioners, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward.

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