Chaplains with the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team (BG-RRT) have deployed to Raleigh, North Carolina, after a mass shooting. Five people, including an off-duty police officer, were killed by a shooter who opened fire along a walking trail on Thursday night. Thousands of people were told to stay inside their houses as police searched for the suspect. Hours later, police apprehended and arrested the suspect.
“What an incredibly terrifying situation. My heart is heavy to hear about this tragic mass shooting,” said Josh Holland, international director of the BG-RRT. “We are sending our crisis-trained chaplains to comfort people, listen and cry with them and share God’s love with those who have been impacted by this horrific tragedy.”
BG-RRT chaplains are now serving in six locations. Besides Raleigh, North Carolina, chaplains are serving in three areas of Florida after Hurricane Ian battered the southwest coast of the state. They continue to minister to people in eastern Kentucky, comforting residents affected by recent severe flooding, and they are serving in Ukraine, offering hope and providing comfort and compassion to families who have been forced to flee their homes.
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:
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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 680 disaster sites across the globe, including shootings, floods, hurricanes, wildfires and tornadoes.
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Media Contact:
Christine Batchelder
cbatchelder@bgea.org