Deacon Vondell Bethune, a 66-year-old African American man and active member of White Oak Hill Missionary Baptist Church, was shot and killed inside his Selma, North Carolina, home on Buffalo Road on August 11, 2019. He had attended Sunday worship that day and was known in the community for helping those in need.

Police say the victim’s second cousin and roommate, 50-year-old Alvin Demetrus Harris, turned himself in to the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office and was arrested and charged with murder. The shooting followed an argument after Bethune asked Harris to move out. The sheriff’s office has not commented on a possible motive and the investigation is ongoing.

The death deeply affected the church and family; Pastor James Perry described Bethune as someone who served God and the community tirelessly, and Bethune’s stepsister JoAnn Cornish said the family still loves Harris and believes in forgiveness.

Did anyone in Selma know Deacon Bethune or have information about the days leading up to August 11, 2019?