One of NY’s Most Wanted suspects is killed in stand-off with US Marshals outside New Jersey hotel: Career criminal, 41, was on the run after robbing $1M from ‘bling bishop’ who was live streaming sermon in church
A serial armed robber, who was on the run after New York’s “bling bishop” stole $1 million at gunpoint while live-streaming his sermon from church, has been killed by U.S. Marshals.
Shamar Leggette, 41, was shot and killed Wednesday during a confrontation with Marshals outside a New Jersey hotel. They tried to arrest him for a series of recent armed robberies, including at Pastor Lamor Whitehead’s church in 2022.
Leggette was New York’s third most wanted fugitive, having served time in state prison twice on numerous armed robbery charges.
According to NBC, officers at the MHO Inn and Suites in Monmouth Junction waited for him to come out, but when he did, he started shooting at them.
The career criminal was shot dead, police confirmed. He had been at the hotel with a woman, who surrendered to authorities Wednesday evening.
Shamar Leggette, 41, was shot and killed Wednesday during a confrontation with Marshals outside a New Jersey hotel. They tried to arrest him for a series of recent armed robberies, including one at Pastor Lamor Whitehead’s church in 2022.
Officers waited at the MHO Inn and Suites in Monmouth Junction for him to come out, but when he did, he started shooting at them
Leggette was tracked down after being named as a suspect in the robbery gang that robbed $1 million from a Brooklyn church in 2022. He had been paroled from state prison just six months earlier.
He was accompanied by two other masked robbers when they burst into the Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries in Canarsie in July 2022.
Pastor Whitehead was live streaming his sermon – and his reactions were caught on camera as the trio robbed $1 million worth of his belongings at gunpoint.
He fell to the ground as the men rushed in – and Leggette ripped the diamond chains from his neck as he pointed a gun at Bishop’s wife and toddler.
Leggette and the two men, Juwan Anderson and Say-Quan Pollack, who have since been arrested, allegedly took Whitehead’s $75,000 Rolex watch, as well as thousands of dollars in diamonds and jewelry.
Pollack has since pleaded guilty to the crimes.
Following the news that Leggette was killed on Wednesday, Bishop Lamor Whitehead took to social media to provide a 30-minute livestream of his thoughts.
He said he has forgiven all three robbers, despite their brutal, damaging actions, and has offered to provide a funeral service for Leggette free of charge.
Whitehead told his followers he wished Leggette had simply surrendered himself instead of confronting the Marshals on Wednesday.
Pastor Whitehead was live streaming his sermon – and his reactions were caught on camera when the trio robbed $1 million of his belongings at gunpoint in 2022.
Following the news that Leggette was killed on Wednesday, Bishop Lamor Whitehead took to social media to provide a 30-minute livestream of his thoughts. He said he has forgiven all three robbers, despite their brutal, damaging actions, and has offered to arrange a funeral service for Leggette free of charge
Whitehead said that during the robbery, Leggette “put the gun in my wife’s face and the gun in my eight-month-old daughter’s face.”
“So this is the guy who was on the loose and he came and put the gun to my head and ripped off my clergy collar and ripped off my chains, and he was just brutal.
‘Today, however, the Marshals arrested him in New Jersey. He wouldn’t give himself up, he had a gun and he was killed.
‘My condolences really go out to his family. This is a sad situation where it is another cycle of destruction for us as African American people. It’s so pointless.
‘I wish he’d given himself up. Even if he did it for a while, he would have been home for his kids. It’s a sad thing. It’s just so pointless.
“I forgive him and I want to extend my services to the family. I would praise him, I will preach the service, whatever I can do in the capacity of a preacher, I will do it for free.”
Before the armed robbery at the church, Leggette was in prison for robbery, attempted murder and gun possession.
Whitehead said Leggette “put the gun in my wife’s face and the gun in my eight-month-old daughter’s face” during the 2022 robbery
The career criminal was shot dead, police confirmed. He had been at the hotel with a woman, who surrendered to authorities Wednesday evening
He was convicted of armed robbery after stealing former NBA player Chris Childs’ $20,000 watch and other goods outside a Manhattan restaurant in 2002.
The career criminal continued to rob people in all five boroughs. Leggette took $7,000 cash from a woman in Queens, and shot and robbed a man of his $50,000 in jewelry in Rhode Island.
Meanwhile, Lamor Whitehead himself is about to face his own fraud and extortion trial next month.
New York City’s infamous “bling” pastor was arrested by federal agents for allegedly defrauding his parishioners of more than a hundred thousand dollars.
He was indicted on two counts of bank fraud, one count of racketeering and one count of making material false statements.
He faces a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison, although his lawyer maintains he is innocent of all charges.
Whitehead previously served two years in state prison on multiple charges of identity fraud and grand theft before being released early for good behavior.
According to the indictment, Whitehead defrauded one of his parishioners out of $90,000 from her retirement savings.