CAMDEN COUNTY, Ga. – The man who was shot and killed in Camden County on Sunday was identified as a pastor who served at a church in Woodbine, according to church leaders.
According to First Baptist Church of Harrietts Bluff, the man who was shot and killed was identified as Joe Clark, known in the community as “Pastor Joe,” and the child who was shot in the arm was his grandson.
“Pastor Joe was a faithful man of God and an accomplished Bible teacher at our church. He will be missed greatly,” the church wrote.
Around 1 p.m. on Sunday, Camden County deputies said they responded to a shooting in a gated community, Deerwood Village, near Harrietts Bluff Road.
When they arrived at the scene, they found a man and a child each with gunshot wounds.
Clark was taken to the hospital but later died.
The grandson was undergoing surgery for his injuries and is expected to be OK, according to the church.
While at the scene on Sunday, News4JAX spoke with a man who identified himself as the father of the child shot and the son of the man who was killed.
He told us he didn’t understand why his father and son were in that neighborhood.
A local pastor, who was close to Clark, described him as “a Godly man, a servant to all.”
“I’m sure he was only trying to make Harrietts Bluff a safer place because that’s what he did in our church, he loved God, he loved his church, and he loved his family,” he said.
The pastor went on to say that Clark, an Army Veteran, had just celebrated his 41st wedding anniversary with his wife, and everyone who knew him in the community loved him.
No arrests have been made.
On Monday, Camden County deputies said the investigation was still active and investigators were reviewing multiple security camera videos from the area.
“This footage will play a key role in helping us understand the events that occurred,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a press release.
Officials said the focus remains on carrying out a “full and detailed investigation.”
“We owe it to this community to conduct a thorough, unbiased investigation -- and that’s exactly what we intend to do,” Sheriff Kevin Chaney said.
The church also provided this link to help purchase meals that will be delivered to the pastor’s family.
