A church groundskeeper was left beaten and baffled after being robbed in broad daylight outside of Truevine Missionary Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama, on Thursday afternoon.
While the identity of the victim has not been publicly disclosed, Pastor Sandy McQueen recounted the ordeal to Fox 10.
“I got a call from maintenance grounds personnel here stating that he had just been robbed and to come and I immediately came this way,” McQueen said. “He was beat up pretty bad. They were punching him like they were punching a punching bag…sad.”
Truevine Missionary Baptist Church was founded in 1883, and McQueen was recently described by a local networking organization as “a pillar of support for his community.”
The victim said that two men approached him outside the church at roughly 4 p.m. The victim then said that he was punched in the face and wrestled to the ground.
The assailants took a $100 bill from the victim’s wallet before throwing the wallet back at him and fleeing.
Although he was bloodied, the victim said that he is alright.
McQueen said the victim has been working for the church for several months and that nothing like this has ever happened before. He characterized the victim as a man who was just trying to make “an honest day’s living” and indicated that the man is a senior citizen.
“It just breaks my heart to see our young people who are just out of control,” he said. “Life is important and I would rather see someone else do these yards or have a security person in place.”
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Police do not yet have any suspects in the case, but investigators are reviewing church security footage for leads. McQueen said that in light of the incident, he is considering how to increase the church’s security measures.
