WATCH: Prayer & Protest – Prayer for Shot Las Vegas Officer Shay Mikalonis

WATCH: Prayer & Protest – Prayer for Shot Las Vegas Officer Shay Mikalonis

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Floyd prayer vigil

Getty A man kneels and holds up his fist during a prayer vigil at a memorial site for George Floyd.

A prayer vigil was held today for Las Vegas Metropolitan Police officer Shay Mikalonis.

Mikalonis, 29, is in a critical condition after being shot in the head outside Circus Circus Casino on the Las Vegas Strip yesterday.

A suspect, 20-year-old Edgar Samaniego, was arrested by police in relation to the crime and appeared in court today, June 3, on one count of attempted murder and two counts of discharging a gun where a person might be endangered. The judge in the Las Vegas Justice Court ordered that he be held without bail.

Speaking at a news conference this morning, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman joined Metro Police and faith leaders in calling for peace.

“We are a family of people … any color, any faith, any belief in anything, we are a family of one people,” Goodman said, in reference to the actions of the Las Vegas officers at yesterday’s shootings.

Fox5 reported that the community was praying for Mikalonis today while he remained in a critical condition at UMC Hospital:
Community offers prayers for Las Vegas officer shotCommunity members prayed for a Las Vegas police officer at UMC the day after he was shot on the Strip. STORY: bit.ly/3duLMlp2020-06-03T05:40:38Z

Everett Wilson, a Christian who came to UMC to pray for the Mikalonis family, told 3LV News there had been “So many tears shed … we need to go to the creator of all of us to bring us back together.”

Looted Kentucky Kroger Store Rebuilds

While Vegas was lifting up Mikalonis in prayer, a looted Kentucky grocery store was slowly rebuilding their shattered lives following a series of destructive riots in the city.

And they believe they have one person to thank for it – God.

Moving video shows the moments the Kroger store on 2710 block of West Broadway in Louisville, Kentucky, reopens with praises following devastating looting of their store on Tuesday morning:

The store was looted early yesterday morning, June 2, during protests for George Floyd, a black man who died while in police custody last week.

WLKY’s Marvis Herring reported that the store has “bounced back quickly” and was operating on reduced hours:

According to WDRB, the ATM outside the store was seriously damaged in an attack:

The ATM can be seen being vandalized in a Facebook Livestream from the riots:

Kroger was one of two stores on Broadway looted early Tuesday morning, despite the fact the shop had been boarded up.

WLKY spoke with locals, who denounced the actions of the looters and assisted with the clean up the next day:

“This Kroger has been here since I was a little girl. A lot of people shop here, especially the elderly,” one woman said. “This is one of the only Kroger stores in the area and most people won’t have transportation to travel to other stores.”

“For looters: stop it,” said area resident Rick Dulin. “Don’t destroy our own neighborhood. Don’t burn down our own house. It’s not necessary.”

Kroger released a statement saying while they were saddened by the events of the evening, they were grateful associates and customers were not harmed.

Prayer Unites a Nation Looking for Answers

Across America, people were turning to prayer for answers in a time of unprecedented confusion.

Prayer vigils and peaceful protests were held from Brooklyn to Virginia as a counterpoint to the current riots.

At Virginia Beach’s Mount Trashmore, people of all creeds and backgrounds, including police and interfaith leaders, came together to remember George Floyd and address what they called “systematic racism.”
Ministers, others hold protest through prayer at Mt. Trashmore in Virginia BeachMinisters, others hold protest through prayer at Mt. Trashmore in Virginia Beach2020-06-03T02:21:07Z

“I have more friends of color than friends that look like me,” Virginia Beach resident Jessica Shepard said. “Just knowing that they have to live in fear is heartbreaking for me.”

Peaceful demonstrations in New York also saw hundreds of pastors and thousands of parishioners representing the 30 different denominations of New York’s five boroughs, and New Jersey, descend on Brooklyn for a Tuesday evening prayer march.
Brooklyn churches hold peaceful marchMore than 100 pastors and thousands of members of their congregations flocked to Brooklyn for a peaceful prayer march Tuesday evening.2020-06-03T03:27:02Z

While “#prayforshay” & “#christjesus” Trend on Twitter, Images of Trump & Hitler Holding a Bible Are Shared

The campaign #prayforshay, calling on the public to pray for the injured Las Vegas shooting victim Shay Mikalonis, was gaining momentum on Twitter today. Some sources said Mikalonis had emerged from surgery, but remained on a ventilator (the Las Vegas Review Journal later confirmed this:)

Meanwhile, as the hashtag #christjesus rose in popularity, two contrasting images were seen across the internet in relation to religion.

In one, Adolf Hitler is seen holding a bible. The image was later revealed to be photoshopped. BuzzFeed Editor Craig Silverman posted the two pictures, the original and the photoshopped version, side by side:

A real image of President Trump holding a bible outside St. John’s Church in Washington, which was recently damaged by fire during protests, was also making the rounds on the web today.

Trump holds bible

Twitter/ @thejtlewisPresident Trump holds a bible outside St. John’s Church in Washington.

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