Clergy Mourn Beloved 'Mayor Of The Street' Shot At BK Church

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — A Brooklyn church caretaker who was found shot dead outside the building he cared for was known as the "mayor of the street" for his role in the neighborhood, clergy said.

Cops found Edward James, 62, shot in the torso outside the Glorious Church of God on Halsey Street just after 5 p.m. Monday. He was pronounced dead at Kings County Hospital.

James, who had once lived on the streets and suffered with alcoholism, had turned his life around by joining the church and come to be a beloved member of the congregation, clergy said Tuesday.

"We called him the 'Mayor of the Street' because he not only helped here, but anyone who needed help, he helped," a bishop with the Glorious Church of God said at a press conference at the church. "Our hearts are heavy in the church."

James lived just a few blocks from the church, which sits on the corner of Marcus Garvey Boulevard, records show.

The shooting is the latest in an ongoing surge in gun violence in the neighborhood and across the city.

Local leaders said Tuesday that James' death was particularly devastating given that it happened outside a house of worship. Clergy from across the city gathered at the congregation Tuesday and prayed with James' family.

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams said the shooting underscores the need for a "comprehensive plan" to combat the gun violence from both the city and the state.

"This violence is taking place daily and nightly," Adams said. "People don't want to leave their homes. People are afraid to sit on their porch. People are actually refusing to cross particular corners and are taking different routes through their neighborhood."

Adams recently called for the city to investigate whether rumors of a work slowdown at the NYPDin response to recent reforms and protests is a factor in the shooting surge.

He's also put forward several proposals of his own to combat the violence, including creating a tri-state commission aimed at stopping the flow of illegal handguns, bringing together clergy and police to put in place public safety initiatives in hot spots and starting an employment program for those 18 to 25 years old.