Prayers are requested for the family of a teenager who was fatally shot in Dallas on Sunday.
In a Twitter post, captured by The Christian Post, Priscilla Shirer revealed that Tony Evans Jr., an aspiring athlete and a member of their church was killed. Shirer's father, Pastor Tony Evans, leads the Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship. She clarified that the young boy is not related to her.
"Family, would you please pray for the family of @TonyEvansJr1 - a talented 17-year-old athlete who was a member of our church. He was killed this past Sunday. He had a promising future at the University of Wyoming this fall. I can only imagine this devastation for his parents. Jesus, mercy," she tweeted.
According to police, Evans was gunned down at a party in Hawthorn Suites on the morning of April 11. Motive of the killing is unknown.
Another person was reportedly shot but he survived while Evans was pronounced dead in the hospital.
Evans' mother, Aretha, expressed her grief to The Dallas Morning News.
"We are on an emotional rollercoaster. Our son's life was abruptly ended. We have been left broken-hearted. Pray for us to have strength as we prepare to lay our beloved Tony Evans Jr. to rest," she stated.
His friends said that Evans just signed a letter of intent to play football at the University of Wyoming (UW). He is said to have performed well last season for Lancaster High, with 13 catches for 268 yards and four touchdowns.
His friend, Courtney Massingill, told the news outlet that Evans had a baby boy due to be born on May 15, a motivation for him to complete his studies in UW and join the NFL.
Dallas police said Thursday that a suspect has been arrested in Evans' death. Keyshawn Evanta Harris, 18, was charged with murder. His bond was set for $500,000.
On Instagram, Shirer pondered further on Evans' death following the shooting of Daunte Wright, another young black man killed by a police officer in Minnesota, also on April 11.
Wright was pulled over at an intersection and when he was found to have a warrant for two misdemeanors, Officer Kim Potter moved to arrest him. But he struggled with the officer who tried to remove him from his car. Potter, who claimed to have mistaken her gun for her taser, shot Wright with a single bullet.
"The circumstances of these two tragedies were different, but the outcomes were the same," Shirer said.
She concluded by empathizing the grief of losing the boys and called for change.
"They are both gone. My husband & I have held our boys close, had hard but necessary discussions that we've had many times before) & we have prayed together for these families. The loss. The heart ache. As I stare into these faces underneath the roof of my own house, I cannot imagine this grief. Something's gotta change. Not later. Not someday. Now," she said.
Shirer is the head of Going Beyond Ministries. The ministry hosts AWAKEN, an outreach "designed to encourage and mobilize women" in their hometown. She is also an author. Her books include "Discerning the Voice of God," "God is Able," "The Resolution for Women," and "Fervent: A Woman's Battle Plan for Serious, Specific and Strategic Prayer."
