Edward Swaine James, 62, was the longtime caretaker at the Glorious Church of God in Bedford-Stuyvesant and a familiar, well-liked presence in the neighborhood. On the evening of August 31, 2020, he was pursued into the church vestibule and struck by a single gunshot to his back. He was taken to Kings County Hospital but died of his injuries.

The shooting took place inside the building he had served for more than two decades, and the loss was deeply felt by congregants and neighbors who knew him as Swain. The NYPD opened an investigation and, on September 3, 2020, arrested 39-year-old Moriyah Lewis of the Bronx. Authorities said James and Lewis were acquainted; Lewis was charged with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a loaded firearm. The motive has not been publicly detailed.

Did anyone in Bedford-Stuyvesant or the church community have information about James, his activities on August 31, or his relationship with Lewis?