Emmanuel Fleming and Michael Swift were running a little late for services on Sunday morning when the unthinkable happened. Just as the men were walking up the front steps of an Austin neighborhood church, they were gunned down in broad daylight, with Fleming’s young children watching.
Church members take part in a prayer vigil outside Friendship Baptist Church in Austin the day after two men were shot to death on the front steps of the church. | Facebook
The shots struck the 34-year-old Fleming, and 46-year-old Swift just outside the Friendship Baptist Church in the 200 block of South Laramie at 11:19 a.m., according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Inside, the congregation was singing a hymn.
Outside, two people wearing bandannas walked up and fired shots, apparently at Fleming, police said.
Both men suffered multiple gunshot wounds to their bodies, authorities said. The shooters then drove away southbound in a silver or gray SUV.
Fleming’s three children, all under the age of 10, ran into the church and were not hurt.
Fleming was taken to Stroger Hospital, while Swift was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, authorities said. They were both pronounced dead less than an hour later.
Fleming lived in the Englewood neighborhood on the South Side, and Swift lived in the West Garfield Park neighborhood.
One church member wrote on Facebook: “Please keep Dr. Reginald E. Bachus and The Friendship Baptist Church of Chicago in your prayers! The church, which was once touted as the nucleus of the community, has been disrespected, defiled and desecrated! During our 11am Worship, while the deacons led devotion, two men, a member and a visitor, were gunned down on the steps of our church. While today’s incident happened at Friendship Baptist Church, the long term effects impact our entire city; a city that appears to be anesthetized to the hatred, crime, violence, and murder that plagues it.”
Witnesses said Fleming was a longtime member of the congregation, and also served as an usher at the church. Swift, his friend, had come with him for the Sunday services.
Pastor Michael V. Johnson of Armour of God Ministries called the shooting almost inhumane.
He wrote on Facebook that his congregation “extends our deepest expressions of consolation to Rev. Reginald Bachus and the Friendship Baptist Church Family, as they recover from the heinous event that took place at their church on Sunday. The world seems a little less human when people are so driven by the evil within them, that they would gun down Christians on the steps of the Church.”
Police released this surveillance photo of the suspected getaway car in the fatal shooting of two men outside an Austin church on Sunday morning. | Chicago Police
Police on Monday released a surveillance photo of the vehicle seen driving away from the scene, believed to be either a silver or grey Toyota Rav4. Anyone recognizing the vehicle is asked to call Area North detectives at (312) 744-8261.
In a post on its Facebook page, the church urged calm: “Lord, we pray for those who have been devastated by recent tragedies. We remember those who have lost their lives so suddenly. We hold in our hearts the families forever changed by grief and loss. Bring them consolation and comfort. Surround them with our prayers for strength. Bless those who have survived and heal their memories of trauma and devastation. May they have the courage to face the days ahead.
“Help us to respond with generosity in prayer, in assistance, and in comfort to the best of our abilities. Keep our hearts focused on the needs of all the community.”
The church will have trauma counselors available at 6 p.m. Wednesday, and all parents, youth and church members are urged to attend to “being the healing process.”
Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin took part in an anti-violence march Monday night in response to the shootings.
—Homicide Watch Chicago