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Community, Religious Leaders Hold Interfaith Service, Search For Answers After Fatal Shooting Of Pizza Delivery Driver

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A church in the city's East End hosted an interfaith service for peace and non-violence on Tuesday evening.

Most of those in attendance at the St. James AME Church in East Liberty were ministers, clergy and representatives of community organizations, all looking for the same thing, to find ways to end the problem of street violence.

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(Photo Credit: KDKA)

Rev. James Harris, the pastor at St. James, says churches, agencies and other organizations must combine their talents and forces to help end the senseless killings.

"We must stop things before they happen, by changing the minds of our children who have been taught to instantly solve their issues by pulling out guns and destroying lives, blowing up schools and tearing up communities," Rev. Harris said.

 

The city's latest homicide victim, 56-year-old AbdulGhaniyu Sanusi, a Domino's pizza delivery driver, was shot to death last Saturday.

Police said a witness heard someone say, "Give me your money," just before gunfire rang out. It happened only a few blocks from St. James AME Church.

Tim Stevens, the CEO of B-PEP, the Black Political Employment Project, said, "[Sanusi] was a man with seven children who came to us, this country, seeking a new life. He was was from Nigeria. His life was taken at 12:24 Saturday afternoon. No one should ever have to lose their life for the price of a pizza."

Stevens said approximately $500 was raised at the interfaith service to put towards their efforts.

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