Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplains deploy to Huntsville, Alabama, after police officer is shot and killed

BG-RRT Press Kit

CHARLOTTE, N.C., March 30, 2023 –Chaplains with the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team (BG-RRT) have deployed to Huntsville, Alabama, after one police officer was killed and another critically wounded. Huntsville Police Department officials say both officers were shot Tuesday night by a man who was captured after barricading himself inside an apartment.

“The news of another police officer shot and killed is devastating. We can’t imagine what their families, the police department and the community are going through. Police officers put their lives on the line every single day to keep our families safe,” said Josh Holland, international director of the BG-RRT. “We are sending our crisis-trained chaplains to comfort people, listen and pray with them and share God’s love with those who have been impacted by this horrific tragedy.”

A team of four crisis-trained chaplains, with law enforcement experience and background, will be in Huntsville to minister to people. BG-RRT has also received a request from city officials to bring the Mobile Ministry Center (MMC) as a safe place to help minister to the police and the community.

BG-RRT chaplains are now providing emotional and spiritual support in five locations. Besides Huntsville, Alabama, chaplains arrived in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday following the shooting at The Covenant School. Chaplains are in Rolling Fork and Amory, Mississippi, which were devastated by tornadoes. They are also offering hope to families who have been forced to flee their homes in Ukraine.

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.

About the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team:

Media Opportunities
  • Josh Holland, international director for the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team, will be available for interviews, as well as chaplain coordinators on the ground in Huntsville, Alabama. For B-Roll, photos and media inquiries, please contact Taylor Koziarz at tkoziarz@bgea.org, (704) 343-1029.

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 700 disaster sites across the globe, including shootings, floods, hurricanes, wildfires and tornadoes.

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Media Contact:
Taylor Koziarz
tkoziarz@bgea.org

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