Churches honor shooting victims

FORT LAUDERDALE – When Pastor Darren Davis spoke to his parishioners at a Sunday service in the aftermath of the Fort Lauderdale airport attack, he suggested they use the collections to help those injured.

Many local spiritual leaders felt the sameway. Together, at least 25 churches used their collections from the weekend after the shooting to help cover the out-of-pocket expenses of those who were injured that day.

“Just with the change in our pockets, let’s love on these people and we were able to raise $78,000,” said Davis, founder and lead pastor at The Harbour Church in Pompano Beach. “We just couldn’t accept the fact that— on our watch— these people were going to have to be affected to even the degree that theywere going to have to put their own money out to pay for their hospital bills.”

Davis and other leaders from Church United, a coalition of Christian churches across Broward County, honored the victims with an evening of worship Friday at Revolution Live, 100 SW Third Ave. Hundreds gathered at the venue in downtown Fort Lauderdale to share laughs, pray and sing along with singer-songwriter Jason Upton.

More than 30 people were injured in the panic that unfolded at the airport as gunman Esteban Santiago reeled off shots inside the Terminal 2 baggage claim.

Edwin Copeland, director of Church United with the National Churches Foundation of South Florida, said they reached out to Broward Health Medical Center to tally patients’ bills and send them the money.

“We don’ t have anyone' s names, because of HIPAA violations, but they gave us a breakdown of the out-of-pocket expenses for each patient,” Copeland said.