A Florida pastor has reportedly been murdered by a man he was helping, Miami-Dade police told a local news station.

Antwane “AD” Lenoir, the 41-year-old pastor at Westview Baptist Church in Miami, Florida, was stabbed to death Saturday on the church’s property, police said.

A day later, police said they identified Dames Dawkins as the suspect for Lenoir’s killing. Dawkins is facing a first-degree murder charge, according to Miami-Dade County registros de la corte.

Lenoir was found with stab wounds to the neck and pronounced dead at the scene, according to an arrest report obtained by NBC 6. Dawkins allegedly stabbed Lenoir “without any provocation” multiple times and then fled the scene on foot, the report added.

Dawkins was found on Sunday and booked into jail, according to Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitations records. As of Tuesday, he is being held without bond.

Lenoir served as a pastor at his church since 2009, according to the Florida Baptist Convention. He also served as a chaplain with the North Miami Police Department.

“He was a very nice man, and he would give you the shirt off his back,” Yovonka Bryant, Lenoir’s cousin, told WSVN. “He was so generous and so kind to a lot of people.”

Bryant said Lenoir had been allowing Dawkins, who was homeless, to live at the church, but that arrangement had ended recently. Because of this, the pastor hired a locksmith to change the locks.

“And the guy got wind that he wouldn’t have anywhere else to go, so he actually showed up to the church,” Bryant said. “And I think things got to be heated between he and my cousin, and (Dawkins) ended up stabbing him.”

Darryl Thomas, who said Lenoir was like a brother to him, shared similar remarks to Bryant. The pastor was trying to help Dawkins get back on his feet as he went through “some issues,” Thomas told NBC 6.

While Lenoir let Dawkins stay at the church, that arrangement was coming to an end because of Dawkins’s behavior.

“Pastor Lenoir was trying to basically tell him he had to find somewhere else because he wasn’t doing right by the rules and regulations that he gave him to stay here,” Thomas said. “That’s when everything turned to the left and we’re at this situation right now.”

Lenoir was well-loved and respected in his community, the Florida Baptist Convention said. Lenoir led several ministries through his church, according to the convention. He worked to share the Gospel with children through an after-school program, a tutoring ministry, and summer camp. He also served local low-income residents by providing support to a nearby apartment community.

en un 2019 artículo about the church’s involvement in the Miami-Dade area, Lenoir said, “We want to reach our community and invest whatever resources we have into them.”

He added, “We are trying to model Christ in a practical way.”

On social media and online, the pastor is being mourned by many.

John H. Taylor, mayor of Opa-locka, Florida, said that Lenoir was a “noble man” in a Facebook correo.

“We were blessed to have this Great Man as a part of our community, serving in many capacities to ensure that our residents had a voice,” Taylor wrote. “The legacy that Pastor A.D. Lenoir leaves behind will live on.”

James Drake, who served on a local board with the pastor, described how Lenoir “always brightened up any room he walked in.”

“His smile was infectious and quick wit always won people over. He was always the best dressed man with initials on his collar to prove it,” Drake wrote in a Facebook correo. “This was a mighty good man, faithful husband, loving father and dear friend. Our community los(t) one of its finest residents but heaven gained a new citizen.”

Drake added that Lenoir would daily send him encouraging text messages or Bible verses. Drake said he will miss these texts.

Lenoir had a true love for his family, church and community, Erik Cummings, Florida Baptists’ Black multicultural catalyst told the Florida Baptist Convention.

“He was not a stranger to anyone; if you didn’t know him, he would make sure you got to know him,” Cummings said.

Lenoir is survived by his wife, Bree, and four children, ages 13 to 20, according to the Florida Baptist Convention.

Freelance journalist Liz Lykins escribe for WORLD Magazine, Christianity Today, Ministry Watch, and other publications.