By Bob Allen
The pastor and the children’s director of a small Southern Baptist church in Bradenton, Fla., died Dec. 4 in a triple homicide.
Police say James “Tripp” Battle III, 31, lead pastor of Bayshore Baptist Church in Bradenton, was fatally shot Thursday afternoon at the church by Andres “Andy” Avalos Jr. Police later found the body of Avalos’ wife, Amber Avalos, 32, who ran the church nursery, at home along with a third victim, 46-year-old Denise Potter, a neighbor.
The suspect is still at large and considered armed and dangerous. A reward of up to $15,000 is offered for his apprehension.
The tragedy affected not only Bayshore Baptist Church, a once-declining congregation that had grown from 30 to more than 100 in the year and a half since Battle arrived, but also a web of Florida Baptist churches with family connections.
Battle’s father-in-law is Keith Johnson, executive pastor of Wayside Baptist Church in Miami. Andy Avalos is also a preacher’s kid. His father is a mission pastor at Woodland Baptist Church in Bradenton.
Police aren’t discussing Alavos’ motive for murdering his wife or why he came looking for Battle, but the couple with six children reportedly had been having marital problems.
Battle, a 2010 graduate of the Baptist College of Florida, was a former football player described as a teddy-bear giant of a man with a heart of gold.
“Everyone loved Tripp,” said Al Fernandez, lead strategist for church planting at the Florida Baptist Convention.
Fernandez said he first met Battle when he was getting out of college and wanted to plant a church in Miami. Battle spent a year as lead pastor of Bridgeway Church in Homestead, Fla., before serving nearly two years as student pastor at First Baptist Church of Albertville, Ala.
Fernandez said Battle spent most of his time at the recent Florida Baptist Convention annual meeting in Lakeland hanging around the church-planting booth in the exhibit hall. “He was a church planter at heart,” Fernandez said, and likely would have eventually returned to that ministry.
Battle leaves behind a widow, Joy, who worked alongside him as church secretary, and two children.
Battle also served in the past as associate pastor at Mosaic Church in Crestview, Fla., and Leonia Baptist Church in Westville, Fla.
Battle’s father told the Tampa Bay Times his son had been trying to help Avalos, who was acting paranoid and may have been using drugs.
Jimmy Battle, 68, said Avalos, who had recently done some work installing flooring in the elder Battle’s home, was getting “wild notions about every man that walked by his wife.” Battle said Amber Avalos had been working at Bayshore Baptist Church for perhaps a year.
Battle said Avalos spoke to his daughter-in-law before reaching the pastor and that she witnessed her husband’s death.
Avalos’ father, who also goes by Andy, has been featured in the Bradenton Herald for his ministry as a mentor to troubled young Latinos.