Pastor Kirk Caldwell Being Held on $2 Million Bail in the Shooting Death of Son, Jordan Caldwell

Pastor Kirk Caldwell charged with first- and -third degree murder in the shooting death of his son, Kirk Caldwell, on Christmas Day. He is being held on $2 million bail.

Pastor Kirk Caldwell, who shot and killed his son, Jordan Caldwell, on Christmas Day, is being held on $2 million bail. The Darby Borough, Pa., pastor has been charged with first- and third-degree murder, criminal homicide, simple and aggravated assault and recklessly endangering another person. According to Philly.com, the arrest documentation for the pastor, states he was in bed when some of his seven children came into his room and told him that his eldest son, Jordan, had just hit a girl and stole her car.

The article further states that his children told him the woman had a large bruise on her face and was crying on the front porch of his home. When he went downstairs, he reportedly saw his son "punching, hitting and throwing other family members around the house," court documents said. Still, this doesn't mean that you pull a gun and shoot your son, does it? Caldwell, pastor of the End Times Harvest Mission in Philadelphia, said he tried to calm his son, but couldn't. He reportedly retreated to his bedroom, changed his clothes and got his gun, after he heard a relative saying his son had a knife. Then it went downhill after that, resulting in the death of his son. Caldwell was later arrested by Officer Brian a. Pitts. Why didn't the pastor or a member of his family call the police? 

Kirk Caldwell said he heard someone claiming that his son was armed with a knife, a weapon that was "very common" for Jordan Caldwell to carry, according to court documents. In response, Caldwell grabbed his .40-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun, went downstairs and pointed it at his son, ordering him several times to stop, the affidavit said. But Jordan Caldwell kept coming forward and when the young man reached into his pocket, Caldwell "just pulled the trigger," according to court documents.

After that single shot, Caldwell dropped the gun and ran to hold his son, who had fallen to the floor, police said. When police arrived about 2 p.m., they found Jordan Caldwell on the front porch and his father in the front doorway of the home holding a gun, according to court documents. Caldwell was taken into custody without incident and waived his rights, choosing to speak freely with police, the affidavit said. He told police that he'd never fired a gun before and that he "just can't believe that this is happening," court documents said. Source: Philly.com

This is a tragedy and especially for a man who has spoken out vehemently against retaliation for violence in the community. Pastor Caldwell has been remanded to Delaware County Prison in lieu of $2 million bail. The bail for the pastor seems very steep and the Hinterland Gazette called the Delaware County District Attorney office's Erica Parham to shed some light on this, but we have not had a response yet. Typically, a first degree murder charge in the state of Pennsylvania is an unbailable offense. District Judge Edward Christie presided over the pastor's arraignment. We also reached out to the judge and was told by the clerk that he only presided over the arraignment.

Pastor Kirk Caldwell's case  information (docket# CP-23-CR-0007801-2009) can be found at:  http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/CPReport.aspx?matterID=201665346
Court summary:  http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/CourtSummaryReport.aspx?matterID=201665346