Pastor shot outside his church

A 70-year-old pastor is fighting for his life after he was shot in the mouth outside his church on Sunday morning.

Pastor Clemmie Livingston Jr was shot while attempting to stop two men from stealing a Sunday school teacher’s car.

The Memphis Police Department told Fox 13 that 70-year-old Clemmie Livingston Jr. was shot just after 9 am as he came out of his church before the start of his Sunday morning service.

“The victim was shot when he came out of the church as the suspects were stealing a 2019 silver Chevrolet Corvette. As the suspects fled the scene in the stolen vehicle, they fired shots, striking the victim,” a statement from the police said.

“A second person who was outside of the church at the time the car was stolen returned fire after the suspects shot first. The victim was in stable condition at the last update. The vehicle has not been recovered at this time. This is an ongoing investigation.”

Police said they received a call at around 9:13 a.m., and when they arrived at the church, they found Livingston in a critical condition. There is also little information available on the suspects who were seen wearing black hoodies, eyewitnesses told police.

“My grandad got shot in the mouth,” the pastor’s 17-year-old grandson, Kavion Woodin, told Fox 13. “This should be one of the things that wakes up Memphis to show that nobody’s safe. A church is one of the safest places you should be at.”

Woodin said Pastor Livingston had planned to preach a sermon titled “Another Chance,” because he believes in giving chances to people.

“He was a man of giving, willingness, kindness, compassion, and he was a man that never did wrong towards nobody. Somebody tried to take one of the church member’s cars, and my granddaddy stepped up. He feared no evil. He came out the church to protect a car because he feared no evil,” said Woodin.

The church has asked for prayers for their pastor. It said in a Facebook post on Sunday night: “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”.

Memphis Police say Livingston is in stable condition at this time.

(Picture Courtesy: Screenshot from X/Mighty990KWAM)