Bishop Lamor Whitehead has offered to eulogize the suspect who robbed him at his storefront church in Brooklyn 2 years ago.
Shamar Leggette, 41, was wanted for robbing the flamboyant “Bling Bishop”, his wife and their child at gunpoint at his Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries in July 2022.
Leggette and his two accomplices allegedly robbed Whitehead and his wife of $1 million in cash and jewelry.
Rumors swirled that the robbery was an inside job, but police determined Whitehead was an innocent victim.
“They destroyed my ministry,” Whitehead said of the robbers. “They had the world believe that I was the one that set up the robbery, and some still believe that.
“I was turned from a victim into a villain, and it opened up all these other attacks on my life,” he added.
Two suspects, Juwan Anderson and Say-Quan Pollack, were arrested a few weeks after the incident at Whitehead’s Canarsie church.
U.S. Marshals caught up to Leggette at a South Brunswick motel where he was shot and killed on Jan. 24.
Law enforcement surrounded the motel and Leggette reportedly came out shooting around 2 p.m.
A woman who was with the suspect surrendered to authorities.
Leggette was listed third on New York’s “most wanted” list on unrelated felony charges.
Bishop Whitehead told the NY Daily News it’s “unfortunate that another young man of color has been killed” by police.
He offered to eulogize Leggette at his funeral.
“I forgive him, and I would love for me and his family to reconcile. I would give my services for free because I am a pastor, and the last church that he was in was my church, even though he was doing something improper.”
The flamboyant preacher went on Instagram Live to address Leggette’s death on Wednesday night.
He said Leggette “was the guy that put the gun in my wife’s face and put the gun in my eight-month-old daughter’s face. So this is the guy that was at large and he came and put the gun to my head and ripped my clergy collar off and ripped my chains off and he was just brutal.”
“I forgive him and I do want to extend my services to the family,” Whitehead said. “I would eulogize him, I will preach the service, whatever I can do in a pastor’s capacity, I will do it, free of charge.”
“My condolences really go out to his family,” he continued. “This is a sad situation where once again, we as African American people — it’s a cycle of destruction… It’s so senseless.”
Leggette was out on parole after serving 2 previous prison sentences at the time of the robbery.
