Surrounding by dozens of people at a church in Salem, Phyllis English came to say a prayer for
those shot this week in northwest Roanoke. She came to say a prayer for her son.
John Ethan English, 36, was shot early Sunday morning in the 3600 block of Shenandoah Avenue. She said he’s been released from the hospital and is recovering.
“We need to come together and cooperate,” she said.
Friday night’s unity prayer at Positive Impact Ministries on East Main Street was a time to pray for those affected by the pain that followed the shooting, but it also called for hope that the community can rebuild itself. About 75 people danced and cried together as religious leaders recited Bible passages and prayed for harmony in the Roanoke Valley.
Six men were shot — two fatally — early Sunday in the 3600 block of Shenandoah Avenue after a large party in a building where Obenchain’s Greenhouses used to be.
On Friday evening, William Christopher Cabbler, 36, at least one person connected to the shooting, turned himself in to Roanoke police. Cabbler is charged with possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of ammunition as a convicted felon.
Another shooting on Monday, in the 3400 block of Shenandoah Avenue, seriously injured Robert Deon Johnson, 20, of Roanoke. Police do not believe the two shootings are related.
Roanoke City Councilman Sherman Lea was so disturbed by the lack of cooperation with police and prosecutors that he called a noon news conference Friday to call on people to find the courage to tell police what they know, not just about recent events, but anytime.
To rid communities of violent and drug crime and “the group that continues to handicap and frighten the city,” it’s going to require courage, commitment and perseverance, he said at the City Council Chamber downtown.
At the Salem church, tears streamed down the cheeks of Lakiesha Jones as she danced and held her hands high as a live band filled the room with music. Jones knows a relative of one of Sunday’s shooting victims. She said gatherings like the one on Friday are helpful in coping with the grief.
“It lets people know the community wants to come together,” she said.
Bishop George Taylor, with Salem’s Solid Rock Pentecostal Church, helped organize Friday night’s event. Taylor lives near where both shootings took place. He said the area was peaceful when he grew up there.
“We can get back together,” Taylor said. “But we just need to have that mindset.”
Apostle Samuel English, who oversees Positive Impact Ministries, led the prayer, saying he is overwhelmed by the recent shootings in Roanoke.
“We have the power, we have the authority, to make a difference in our community,” he said as people stood up and shouted approvingly.
Elder Larry Gill didn’t belong to the Positive Impact Ministries congregation, but when he heard about the prayer, he said wanted to show his support for the churches.
“It’s time for the church to get involved in the community,” Gill said. “The church can change things — especially the community.”
Friday’s prayer brought together religious leaders from various churches, some of whom took turns speaking to the group.
Pastor Walter Warner, with Greater Life Ministries in Roanoke, said he used to run the streets and use drugs before he found God, and that if God could save him, he could save anyone, as long as they have the mindset to change.
“It’s all about souls being saved,” he told the crowd. “Folks will still be getting robbed, folks will still be getting killed until we make a change.”
Frank Johnson said Friday’s event was difficult to process. He said he’s the uncle of Sunday shooting victim Nelson Mikal Sanders, 22, and he was seeking mercy for all young people.
“I want to see a great spirit of unity among churches,” he said. “We’re working together for good.”
Toward the end of the night, the room was alive with dancing, cheering and clapping.
“We have work to do,” English said, before the church emptied back out into the Roanoke Valley.
Staff writer Matt Chittum contributed to this report.
