CHARLOTTE, N.C., July 18, 2023 – The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team (BG-RRT) has deployed to Fargo, North Dakota, after a gunman opened fire on police and firefighters who were responding to a routine traffic crash Friday afternoon. Jake Wallin, a 23-year-old rookie police officer still in training, was killed and two other officers were critically injured. A 25-year-old woman was also shot and seriously wounded.
“The news of a police officer shot and killed is devastating. We simply can’t begin to imagine what their families, the police department and the community are going through right now. Our thoughts and prayers are certainly with Officer Jake Wallin’s family, the officers and young woman who were injured,” said Eric Hubbard, deputy director of the law enforcement ministry of the BG-RRT. “Police officers put their lives on the line every single day to keep our families safe. We are sending our crisis-trained law enforcement chaplains to listen, comfort, pray with and share God’s love with those who have been impacted by this horrific tragedy.”
BG-RRT chaplains are now providing emotional and spiritual support in seven locations:
- Fargo, North Dakota (police officer shooting)
- Hampton, Georgia (mass shooting)
- Barre, Vermont (flooding)
- Highland Falls, New York (flooding)
- Marked Tree, Arkansas (severe storms)
- Tulsa, Oklahoma (severe storms)
- Ukraine (conflict)
For more information on the ministry, including videos, photos, news articles and an interactive map of former and current deployments, visit the BG-RRT press kit or BillyGraham.org/RRT. Updates can also be found at Facebook.com/RRTChaplains.
Media Opportunities:
- Interviews with:
- Eric Hubbard, deputy director of the law enforcement ministry of the BG-RRT
- Chaplain coordinators in Fargo, North Dakota
- For B-Roll, photos and media inquiries, please contact Christine Batchelder at cbatchelder@bgea.org, (704) 724-6851.
About the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team:
The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team was developed by Franklin Graham and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. It has since grown into an international network of chaplains in the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia who are specifically trained to deal with crisis situations. They have deployed to more than 730 disaster sites across the globe, including shootings, floods, hurricanes, wildfires and tornadoes.
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Media Contact:
Christine Batchelder
cbatchelder@bgea.org