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Police: Pastor's wife shot during robbery in Northwestside home

Michael Anthony Adams, Madeline Buckley, and Vic Ryckaert
IndyStar
Davey and Amanda Blackburn pose with their son Weston. Amanda Blackburn was shot Tuesday morning in her Northwestside home.

Amanda and Davey Blackburn's church was just beginning to grow, a family friend said.

The young couple moved to Indianapolis from South Carolina in 2012 with dreams of  starting a church here.

They created a home in the Wynnedale-Spring Hill neighborhood with their toddler son, Weston, and established an independent church, Resonate Church, on the Northside, said Kerry Kind, a friend of Davey Blackburn's grandfather.

"It was just getting going," said Kind, who is communications director for the Wesleyan Church.

The couple had recently announced to family and friends that Amanda Blackburn was 12 weeks pregnant, a family spokesperson said.

Amanda and Davey Blackburn with their son, Weston.

The family — and the church community the Blackburns were building — mourned Wednesday as Amanda Blackburn, 28, hovered near death on a ventilator after she was shot in the head in her Northwestside home Tuesday morning.

Marion County Deputy Coroner Alfie Ballew said Blackburn's death appears imminent, but she clarified that the woman has not been pronounced dead.

The Resonate Church, though, posted a statement on Facebook in which they said they were mourning her death, joined by hundreds of people on Facebook publicly sending prayers to the family.

And in a statement released late Wednesday night, Davey Blackburn said it’s impossible for him to communicate all the emotions his "heart has been forced to process," but that through his wife's death, he knows that "even more people will come to a saving faith in Christ."

"My wife was such a beautiful, gracious, loving woman of God. I have not only lost my ministry partner and support but also my very best friend. There is no way to prepare yourself for circumstances like these. As deeply as I am hurting I am hopeful and confident that good things will come of this."

Blackburn was shot and critically injured around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday inside her home in the 2800 block of Sunnyfield Court in the Wynnedale-Spring Hill neighborhood, near 38th Street and West Kessler Boulevard, North Drive.

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department confirmed Wednesday evening that the shooting occurred during a robbery.

"It is being investigated as a robbery that critically injured the victim," Sgt. Kendale Adams said.

No further information, including details on a possible suspect or suspects, has been released.

Amanda Blackburn was found shot Tuesday morning in this home in the 2800 block of Sunnyfield Court on Indianapolis' Northwestside.

Church staff at First Baptist Church in Elkhart confirmed Blackburn is the daughter of the church's lead pastor, Phil Byars.

The church released a statement that reads:

"The pastoral team is ministering to the Byars family in their time of need. Our hearts and prayers go out to the entire family, and we ask all believers to pray on their behalf as well."

The First Baptist church's Facebook page later on Wednesday morning posted that Amanda Blackburn had died.

"Amanda Grace Blackburn has entered the presence of her Lord and Savior. Please be in prayer for her family as they grieve this great loss," the post read.

A family spokeswoman, Lauren Woolever, asked for understanding and support for the Blackburn family.

"Please join us in prayer for our pastor, his son Weston and their entire family during these hard days ahead. We have extremely heavy hearts and although we are hurting tremendously, we are still hoping and believing that great things are still yet to come," Woolever's statement read.

The Wesleyan Church organization released information on its website Wednesday after the shooting. Kind said Blackburn has family members involved with the Wesleyan Church.

The organization included a statement from Blackburn's father-in-law, David Blackburn Sr., a pastor in North Carolina:

"The Family of God is amazing! So many of you, literally from around the globe, have come together to pray for Amanda Blackburn. Our families are overwhelmed by the outpouring of prayer and expressions of love. I will tell you that we have been leaning on those prayers heavily."

Amanda and Davey Blackburn

Blackburn's prognosis after the shooting was poor, said Kind, the family's friend, but relatives were praying for a miracle. He said the family members were bolstered by the groundswell of support from friends and strangers.

Neighbor Reginald Townsel said he and and his wife visited Amanda in the hospital on Tuesday night.

"It was hard, only because detectives, police were there," said Townsel, who lives on the cul-de-sac of Sunnyfield Court, a few doors down from the Blackburns' home.

Townsel said he didn't get to speak to Davey, who was busy with a chaplain and investigators, but he did share his grief with other relatives.

"We hugged and cried and prayed," Townsel said. "That's all I've been doing."

Amanda, Townsel said, was always smiling. She was often seen working in the yard or in the garage, where Townsel said she spent hours refinishing old furniture.

"I'm hurt," he said. "This isn't that type of neighborhood. Those people didn't deserve that."

Becky Vandenburgh, another neighbor, left work early Wednesday after she found out about the shooting.

"It's just horrible what happened," Vandenburgh said. "It could have been me. It's very scary."

Vandenburgh has lived on Sunnyfield Court for about nine years. She's known the Blackburns since they moved in about two years ago. They were always out walking with their baby, she said. Amanda liked to bring cookies to the neighbors.

"They were great people, really loving," she said.

Just last month, Blackburn and her husband took to the church’s stage to discuss their relationship and answer questions as part of a sermon series about God’s plan for dating and relationships.

In a video of the Q&A posted on the church’s website, Blackburn said the couple met during a blind date to a Christian rock concert and “pretty much clicked right away.”

Her husband added: “That night we did a milk shake drinking contest and you shot milkshake out of your nose and that’s when I knew I had met the girl I was going to marry.”

Amanda and Davey Blackburn

Two weeks ago, the couple took a romantic getaway to Chicago to make sure they were practicing what they preached, according to a video they posted online.

The case began when IMPD officers were dispatched to a home in the 2800 block of Sunnyfield Court to assist Indianapolis Fire Department crews after it was determined a woman at the residence had been assaulted.

Arriving officers found the unresponsive woman inside the home with "apparent signs of trauma," police said. However, according to an IMPD report, the "woman was shot."

Emergency medical personnel then transported Blackburn to IU Health Methodist Hospital.

A burglary was reported at a home on the same block three hours before Amanda Blackburn was found. Investigators said there's nothing at this time to indicate that the two crimes are related.

Donations can be made to the Blackburn Family Support Fund on the church's website, resonateindianapolis.com.

"Please consider supporting our pastor Davey, their son Weston, and their entire family during these hard days ahead," the church said in a message on the donation web page. "We have extremely heavy hearts and although we are hurting tremendously, we are hoping and believing that the best is still yet to come."

Star reporters Vic Ryckaert and Tony Cook contributed to this story. Call Star reporter Michael Anthony Adams at (317) 444-6123. Follow him on Twitter: @MichaelAdams317.

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