Denzel Branch, a 31-year-old youth minister at New Generation Church, was fatally shot on March 31, 2024, in Dallas following an Easter Sunday service. The shooting happened around 3:25 p.m. in the 2500 block of 56th Street, near the church. Police say Branch got into a verbal altercation with 30-year-old Joshua Andrews, also known as Joshua Bell, who is the son of the church’s lead pastor, Eric Andrews. The confrontation allegedly escalated when Branch punched Andrews through an open vehicle window; Andrews then retrieved a handgun and fired multiple shots. Branch tried to run but collapsed in the street and later died at a local hospital.

Investigators reported that Andrews had been involved in a romantic relationship with Branch’s ex-wife since May 2023, before their divorce in November 2023, and that the relationship had caused ongoing tension between the men. After the shooting, Andrews left the scene and later turned himself in to the Dallas Police Department; he was arrested and charged with murder, with bail set at $500,000. The church community expressed profound sadness and asked for prayers for the families.

If anyone who attended the service or was near 56th Street that afternoon has information, please come forward.