Family of Slain California Pastor Chooses Forgiveness after Shooting

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A 22-year-old man, Joel Martin Dukes III, was arrested last week for the fatal shooting of 40-year-old pastor Felipe Ascencio in Ramona, California earlier this month.

On Friday, authorities arrested Dukes III, a Romona resident, on suspicion of murder. Deputies with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office had responded to a call around 2:35 p.m. on Sept. 7 at a home on Eighth Street in Ramona, where they found Ascencio, the pastor of Templo Monte Horeb, with a gunshot wound. Although paramedics were called, Ascencio was pronounced dead at the scene, The Christian Post reported.

The shooting is believed to be an isolated incident while the motive remains under investigation, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

During Ascenio’s funeral last Friday, loved ones remembered the late pastor as someone who encouraged them to push forward, Fox 5 San Diego reported.

“His last words to me were, here there’s no going back, only forward,” Gabriela Ledezma, his niece, said. “You can be around him for a second and you’d start jumping around and having fun too. That’s just the kind of person he was.”

Other church members expressed their condolences and grief.

“He left an example that we should all follow — to love one another,” said Francisco Tomas, a close friend and former roommate of Ascencio’s.

Jesus Flores, who grew up attending Templo Monte Horeb, credited Acencio for providing emotional support during a challenging time.

“At the end of each service, he would come up to us and lay his hand on us to pray for us, and I’ll kneel there with my eyes closed, and I’m still waiting to feel his hand,” said church member Viviana Fonseca.

Ascencio’s family also expressed forgiveness to the shooter, citing their Christian faith and the example set by the late pastor.

“In the Bible, there’s a verse about turning the other cheek, and he lived it to a tee,” said Ledezma.

Ascencio is survived by his wife, Abigail, and their two children. His family has launched a GoFundMe, which has raised over $34,000 to support Ascenio’s wife and children.

“She has suffered the heartbreaking loss of her beloved husband, Felipe — a devoted father of two and pastor of Mount Horeb Church here in Ramona,” wrote the organizer. “Any contribution, no matter the size, will mean so much and bring comfort during this painful time.”

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Doidam10

Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.