Henrico minister beaten, stabbed

-- A preacher who was beaten and stabbed in his church in Henrico County on Saturday morning was released from the hospital last night.

The Rev. James Bullock, pastor of First Free Will Baptist Church on Hungary Road, was practicing his singing Saturday morning when two men barged into his office, said Brenda McPeak, a church representative.

The men demanded money and started beating Bullock after he told them there was no safe in the church, said Henrico police Lt. Charles Ferrigno.

Police said last night that no arrests had been made in the incident.

Bullock, 55, said he was punched, kicked and beaten over the head with a rock-shaped paperweight that was on his desk, according to McPeak, who spoke with Bullock after the attack.

He was stabbed twice in the body with a pocketknife and suffered razor cuts on both arms, McPeak said.

Bullock, who had been practicing for a Saturday evening concert, told McPeak after the attack that he had gotten in a couple of "pretty good" punches during the ordeal.

"He said he fought for his life," McPeak said. "I think he fought back and saved his life."

The preacher was knocked unconscious. He woke up and called McPeak shortly after 8 a.m., sounding weak as he told her he had been severely beaten, she said.

At some point after he came to, Bullock left the church and walked up the driveway toward a nearby police car, falling down a couple of times on the way, said George Munn, chairman of the church's deacon board.

Bullock was taken to VCU Medical Center.

"He had, of course, a rough night last night," Munn said yesterday. "He was in a lot of pain from the beating."

Bullock did not want to be interviewed for this article, McPeak said.

At the end of a church service yesterday, more than 60 people joined hands and prayed in a circle around the sanctuary at First Free Will.

Church members said it was important to show forgiveness for Bullock's attackers.

"I would just like to say to these guys who did this that I love them in Christ, and I am praying for them," Margaret Poston said after the service. "There's no anger at all."

The church was founded in 1952, and its current location was built in 1972, Munn said. Bullock has been pastor about 12 years.

"He's such a sweet man, a loving man, a caring man," said church member Cindy Warner.

One of the pastor's attackers was described as a heavyset white man about 5-foot-9 who appeared to be in his mid-40s and was wearing a black coat and blue jeans.

The other assailant was said to be a muscular-looking white man between 5-foot-4 and 5-foot-6 with a thin mustache and shoulder-length dark-brown hair with long bangs and long sideburns. He was wearing a brown plaid shirt with baggy blue jeans.

Police called the attack unusual in the well-established residential community between West End Drive and Staples Mill Road.

"We haven't encountered anything similar in this area," Lt. Bryan Cook said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Henrico police at (804) 501-5000.
Contact Reed Williams at (804) 649-6332 or .

Staff writer Bill McKelway contributed to this report.