'Good Samaritan' Father of 12 Accused of Shooting Church Greeter Is Gunned Down
A father of 12 who was accused of shooting a greeter at a church he once attended in Kansas City, Missouri, just one week after he was hailed as a "good Samaritan" for saving another man's life in May, was found shot dead last week.
Before he was found dead, Orlando Gentry, 30, the "good Samaritan," was facing charges of first-degree assault, armed criminal action, unlawful possession of a weapon, unlawful use of a weapon, and a misdemeanor charge of unlawful use of a weapon for carrying a loaded firearm into the House of Refuge Family Worship Center, according to the Kansas City Star. Gentry was accused of entering the church through a back door and firing multiple shots, injuring church greeter Montell Bruce in the melee.
"He was actually mad at the pastor. I think he wanted financial help," Bruce told local news station Fox4KC. He explained that Gentry kept demanding money from the pastor.
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"He did threaten the pastor. He told him after church, 'me and you, one-on-one,'" Bruce said.
Bruce explained that when he saw the suspect pull the gun, he risked his life to stop him.
"My family was there. My son was there," he told KCTV5. "I tried to grab him and throw him to the ground. I was trying to get the gun."
Gentry's sisters claimed, however, that he and other members of their family were once members of the church and at the time of the shooting he had an argument with the church's leadership because he was trying to leave over things he didn't agree with. The shooting, they said, was carried out by other men.
"My family, he's like, we're trying to get so involved and everything and we ask y'all to send us a church van and stuff and y'all don't never do it. He was just explaining the things that he don't agree with in the church," Tiesha Gentry told Fox4KC.
Police revealed on Tuesday that Gentry was found shot on Sept. 19 in front of an apartment building on the east side of East 50th Street and Troost.
Despite the charges he was facing at the time of his death, Gentry took the time last month to share some inspiring thoughts on Facebook in which he reminded his friends that God has a plan for their lives.
"Pray until something happen. The future lies in our hands. Hold it, don't let someone else dictate where u are headed in life and God gave u the desire to do whatever u want and be whatever u want to be. We are an image of him. He gave us the same powers he got. Establish them young people. 2017 still lies in the hands of wise intelligent people with control take it love yall just a thought take heed," he wrote.
A week before he was arrested for the shooting, Gentry was hailed as a "good Samaritan" for helping to pull a car off a man who got pinned in an accident.
"My mama taught me well," Gentry told local media about his heroism.
His brother, Reaco Gentry, remembered his brother as a family man and said he had just started working for a temp service.
"He was a lot of things: funny, loving, caring," Reaco Gentry said. "He was most definitely a family person."
