LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A local pastor is calling for change after a 14-year old boy was shot and killed just blocks from his church.
Javarius Hendrix died in the 900 block of Brentwood Avenue in the Wyandotte neighborhood on Sunday.
Pastor Corey Nelson runs Grace Kids, a church specifically designed for young people.
Nelson said he's been raising concerns about safety for several months, after he and other church volunteers faced threats and harassment.
The safety concerns got so bad he took to wearing a bullet proof vest and eventually closed the church temporarily.
"I go to bed thinking about it and I wake up thinking 'did I do the right thing.' Because I know the importance of this place," he said. "We get volunteers from all over the city to help out, and I can't keep my volunteers safe in this parking lot."
Nelson said he came right to the church after hearing about the shooting Sunday.
"I was incredibly angry. I was hurt. That kid didn't need to die," he said.
Nelson said LMPD took reports about the issues the church faced, but he does feel more needs to be done. He said the issues with violence don't stop with one neighborhood.
"It's like the analogy of the boiling frog. We're the boiling frog, we've been in the boiling water for so long that we don't realize how bad it's gotten," he said.
Nelson said in years past, LMPD had a presence within the church, interacting with the kids.
That's something he would like to see return, after Mayor Craig Greenberg called on churches and community groups to be agents of change.
"Wanting community help, wanting faith leaders to step up and partner, we’ve done that for ten years in this building and we’ve done it really well," he said.
Nelson said he's hopeful a new administration will help address the issues facing the community. In addition to more presence from LMPD, he said reopening the juvenile detention center could be a good step.
"I'm the last person that wants a kid locked up, I would rather have them in my building," he said. "We have to start, the longer we wait, the longer it's going to take. But there's no quick fix to this."
Right now, to keep the ministry alive, volunteers have been hosting the church's kids in their homes for prayer and meals.
Nelson said he hopes he can reopen the building to the kids soon.
"They still need this place, taking them out of the neighborhood is not a permanent solution," he said.
LMPD confirmed they have responded to calls to the church, but the investigations are ongoing.
In the case of the shooting death Sunday, LMPD said all parties have been accounted for.
If you have any additional information, they ask the community to call the anonymous tip line at 574-LMPD or use the online portal.
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.