New Orleans pastor fights to save ‘murder capital’ 6 months after son shot just blocks from church
'His beat goes on': New Orleans pastor remembers son who would have turned 21 this month
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A New Orleans pastor has spent the last 23 years serving his church and community members, but when his son was shot and killed, he was given a redefined purpose to stop the violence that's plagued his home city as one of the nation's murder capitals.
"Something precious was taken from me and this world," St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church senior pastor the Rev. Orin D. Grant Sr. told Fox News.
"But we're going to keep his memory alive," Grant said. "We're keeping his message alive and we're keeping this ministry alive."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Grant, who has lived in Gretna, Louisiana all his life, has led seminars on peer mediation to teach conflict resolution and avoid resorting to violence. The pastor also organized a rally calling on church leaders, public officials, law enforcement and community members to work together to prevent gun violence after his own son and namesake, Orin D. Grant Jr., was shot and killed on Aug. 2, 2022, amid the citywide homicide surge.
"My church is not just a church in a city," Grant said. "It's a church for the city."
It will take a long time to reduce the violence, but the pastor said he will do his best to "stop other parents from going through what we're going through."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A NEW ORLEANS PASTOR FIGHTS TO CURB THE CITY'S GUN VIOLENCE SURGE DESPITE HIS GRIEF. WATCH:
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New Orleans recorded 266 homicides in 2022 — a 116% increase from 2019, according to the New Orleans City Council crime database. The city recorded the most homicides per capita among major U.S. cities in September, but Jackson, Mississippi, unseated it as the murder capital by the end of the year. Yet violent crime continued to soar across the city and carjackings rose 165% over the last two years.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A New Orleans pastor remembers his son, Orin D. Grant Jr., after he was taken by gun violence before his 21st birthday. (Megan Myers / Fox News Digital)
"We recognize we are in a dark place in society," Grant said. "But there are people that are resilient and bring hope to our children so that they can have a great future."
'In light of his death, his beat goes on'
"He was my prince," Grant said. "He had a lot of promise."
Grant Jr. was in college and planned to follow in his dad's footsteps at the church. He loved preaching by his dad's side since he was a kid, running out in the aisles to join him during worship services, the pastor told Fox News.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}AMERICANS IN NEW ORLEANS WARN ‘DON’T COME ALONE' TO THIS MURDER CAPITAL
"Every move I made, he made," Grant said while chuckling. "He just brought a lot of joy to the family."
Grant Jr. played the drums in church every Sunday without ever taking a lesson. (The Rev. Orin D. Grant Sr.)
Grant Jr., the youngest of the pastor's three sons, played percussion in the church since he was a toddler.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It was just in him," Grant said. "He was born to beat the drums."
"Therefore, in light of his death, his beat goes on," Grant continued.
Grant Sr. hands out signs with his son's face on it to promote his message of love, unity and peace. He hopes by spreading his message that others will work together to stop the violence. (Megan Myers / Fox News Digital)
‘A tough pill to swallow’
The pastor told Fox News that his son was at his girlfriend's house the night he was shot and killed. The shooting happened just blocks away from his church.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It's a tough pill to swallow," Grant said. "I wake up with him on my mind. I go to sleep with him on my mind."
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On Feb. 19, the pastor hosted a worship service, brunch and balloon release commemorating what would have been Grant Jr.'s 21st birthday. The pastor channeled his grief into a sermon in honor of his son.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The message was "love, unity and peace," Grant said. "Stop the violence."
St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church releases balloons in honor of what would have been Grant Jr.'s 21st birthday before he was shot and killed. (Megan Myers / Fox News Digital)
‘We're going to take a bite out of crime'
"I was an advocate before, but when Orin was murdered, it just accelerated my advocacy," Grant told Fox News.
Grant said he's recruited community members to visit crime hotspots across the Big Easy to make their presence known and promote gun violence prevention.
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"This has not weakened me," Grant said. "This has strengthened me."
"And like the crime dog McGruff, we're going to take a bit out of crime," Grant said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}To hear from more Grant on the gun violence surge that took his son, click here.