Pastor Tim Remington delivered a well-received invocation at a rally for GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho on Saturday, but, just 24 hours later, the local religious leader found himself the victim of a vicious attack, gunned down in the parking lot of his church following his Sunday service. The shooting was caught on video surveillance footage, and a suspect has been identified: 30-year-old Kyle Odom, a local resident. At this writing, a manhunt is presently underway for Odom. Although having been shot in the skull and back, Remington is expected to survive.

While questions have understandably arisen over whether the shooting was in any way connected to Remington’s appearance with candidate Cruz the day before, members of Remington’s Altar Church are speculating that it may instead be related to pastor Remington’s work on behalf of drug addicts. Remington is a former street minister from Southern California who, it is said, spent a great deal of time there trying to help those caught up in the web of substance abuse, and who continued similar efforts when he moved to Idaho.

The Cruz campaign issued a statement following the attack: “Our prayers are with Pastor Tim, his family, and the doctors who are supervising his care. We pray for his full recovery and are thankful for the efforts of law enforcement to ensure the attacker is swiftly brought to justice.”

 By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large