Officials are assigning a prosecutor to look into complaints about a Tennessee sheriff’s office detective and church pastor who called for the execution of LGBT people in a sermon, The Washington Post reported on Friday.
All Scripture Baptist Church pastor Grayson Fritts said in a June 2 sermon that LGBT people are “freaks” and “animals” who are “worthy of death.” The full sermon was posted by the church to YouTube and Facebook.
{mosads}”Here’s how it should work. It shouldn’t work when we go out and we enforce the laws, because the Bible says the powers that be are ordained of God and God has instilled the power of civil government to send the police in 2019 out to these LGBT freaks and arrest them,” Fritts said. “Have a trial for them, and if they are convicted then they are to be put to death … do you understand that? It’s a capital crime to be carried out by our government.”
The church has since deleted the video of the sermon, but it has been shared across social media platforms.
Knox County District Attorney General Charme Allen announced her office will review all cases involving Fritts.
“I find this speech personally offensive and reprehensible,” Allen said, according to The Washington Post. “As District Attorney, my constitutional obligation is to protect the integrity of the justice system.”
Allen added that nobody has filed specific allegations against Fritts.
The Knox County Sherriff’s Office also released a statement condemning the sermon. Fritts worked as a detective in the sheriff’s office, but he requested a county buyout earlier this month.
“I want to be very clear that it is my responsibility to ensure equal protection to ALL citizens of Knox County, Tennessee under the law, my oath and the United States Constitution without discrimination or hesitation. Rest assured that I have and will continue to do so,” Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler said.