church in the city of Liverpool, has been killed for apparently "racist" reasons, evangelical officials said Wednesday, August 3.
In a statement to BosNewsLife News Center, leaders of the Evangelical Alliance United Kingdom (EAUK) and the African and Caribbean Evangelical Alliance (ACEA) said they were "deeply concerned" about the death of 18-year old student Anthony Walker, who was very active within the Liverpool Grace Family Church.
Michael Barton, 17, and Paul Taylor, 20, were among several men wanted for questioning by local police over the July 29 axe attack at a park in the Huyton area of Liverpool, several media reported.
MANCHESTER CITY
The pair, who were described as the brother and cousin of Manchester City footballer Joey Barton, had left the country and gone to Holland but returned voluntarily, with a lawyer, the UK’s Press Association (PA) said Wednesday, August 3.
They were reportedly arrested on suspicion of murder after the EasyJet flight from Amsterdam touched down at Liverpool John Lennon Airport. The two were believed to be among a group of white men who killed Anthony Walker.
Police said the troubles began when Walker and his white girlfriend waited for a bus with his male cousin, who is also black. They were apparently racially abused by a man in his 20s wearing a hooded top standing outside the pub.
AVOIDING CONFRONTATION
As they left to find another bus stop to avoid a confrontation, they were followed and eventually attacked at McGoldrick Park by a gang of three or four men, police investigators said.
Anthony’s girlfriend and cousin saw him get hit with an axe and ran off to get help, news reports said. However minutes later they returned to find him slumped on the ground with the axe embedded in his head.
Anthony was taken to Whiston Hospital in the city but later transferred to Walton neurological centre where he reportedly died of his injuries early Saturday, July 30.
It comes at a time of growing uneasy among colored people, following the recent bomb attacks in London, in which dozens of people were killed.
"GOD’S GRACE"
"Our prayers go out as we think and pray for Anthony’s family," said EAUK’s General Director Rev Joel Edwards. "We also stand with the congregation at Grace Family Church [an EAUK member] who will share the burden at this tragic time. We trust that in this desperate moment they will indeed be a church family experiencing God’s grace as together we seek justice in this terrible situation," he added.
The senseless killing of anyone is deeply concerning. However, the brutal murder of a young black man who had all the hallmarks of a model citizen is not only criminal, but wicked," stressed ACEA’s Chief Executive Officer Rev Katei Kirby, in a statement to BosNewsLIfe News Center.
While saying that his "thoughts and prayers are with the Anthony’s family and friends," he also urged "those agencies who have a role in bringing the perpetrators of this crime to justice".
POLICE SHOCKED
Liverpool’s Merseyside Police Assistant Chief Constable Bernard Lawson told local media there had been a number of other incidents of racial abuse in the area in recent weeks and appealed for the local community to come forward with information.
"We believe the offenders are local and it is the responsibility of the local community to give these people up. If they do not do so it is not only a stain on the offenders but also a stain on the community itself."
"What we are dealing with here is an unprovoked and vicious attack on a young black man which we believe to be racially motivated…" The police chief said the murder had dashed Anthony Walker’s dreams here on earth. "Anthony was a young Christian studying for his A-levels and wanting to be a lawyer. Those dreams for him and his family are now dashed," he was quoted as saying. (With Stefan J. Bos, BosNewsLife Research, and reports from Liverpool, UK).
