NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Police have arrested a man and a woman in the murder of a pastor at a Northwest Miami-Dade strip mall.
Pastor Gregory Boyd, 54, was gunned down in the parking lot of a strip mall in the area of Northwest 27th Avenue and 79th Street on Sept. 10.
Boyd was caught in the crossfire of a shootout involving several people, according to police.
Police arrested 20-year-old Latravia Bell and 31-year-old Nathaniel Roberson, Thursday, and they said the arrests came thanks to tips from the community.
“Detectives were working this case day in and day out, and with the assistance of the community, they were able to locate these two individuals,” said Miami-Dade Police detective Argemis Colome. “At the moment, our detectives are looking into it. There may be more people involved.”
Police have identified a third suspect, 20-year-old Michael Norman.
Friends of the pastor hope someone in the community turns him in.
“These offenders took an innocent person’s life for no reason,” said Craig McQueen, a friend of Boyd. “They don’t deserve to be out here among us.”
Bell and Roberson made their first court appearances on Friday. The judge reminded them that the crime was caught on camera, eliminating the chance of bonding out.
Boyd was the pastor at New Birth Harvest Outreach Ministries Churches of Deliverance. He is remembered as a community leader who dedicated his life to doing good.
“He had a story to tell us, and so, he was a great guy. It just so happens that the Lord needs him upstairs now,” said Pastor Lorenzo Johnson with the Faith Tabernacle Baptist Church.
Boyd’s death has drawn passionate pleas to put the guns down.
“I believe that the community is sick and tired of being sick and tired,” said Pastor Richard Paul Dunn II with Faith Community Baptist Church.
“In a time like this, when we need our clergy and we need our men of the cloth, we are losing them to senseless gun violence. Unacceptable,” one woman said.
Police said that because of the work the community did, they were able to bring some closure to Boyd’s family and loved ones. They believe that with more tips from the community, they may be able to make more arrests in this case.
If you have any information on others who may have been involved in this shooting, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $3,000 reward.
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