Syracuse, NY - On Father’s Day Sunday, a small prayer group paid last respects to a father of five who was murdered in his home one week ago. Pleamon Fletcher Sr., of Maplewood Avenue, was found bludgeoned to death inside his home. Daniel Bailey, 49, a parolee from Detroit, was accused with killing him with a hammer during a...
Gwendolyn Mack of Syracuse, left, prays during a vigil Sunday for homicide victim Pleamon Fletcher, 69, who was killed June 12 in his home at 116 Maplewood Ave., Syracuse. Mack is a member of Mothers Against Gun Violence, the group that organized the vigil. At center is the Rev. John Schopfer of the Brady Faith Center. At right is Brother Joseph Freitag of Assumption Church. Pleamon Fletcher Sr., of Maplewood Avenue, was found bludgeoned to death inside his home. Daniel Bailey, 49, a parolee from Detroit, was accused with killing him with a hammer during a dispute over money. Bailey is Fletcher’s former son-in-law.
A small, intimate group stood in a circle and clasped hands as three members of the clergy offered prayers.
“I pray that more men will understand about what it is to be a father,” said Brother Joe Freitag, of the Franciscan Collaborative Ministries. “I hope that more men will take up that vocation.”
Organizer Helen Hudson, of Mothers Against Gun Violence, said that reaching out to victims’ families can stem the tide of violence. “We’re going to have to continue to lean on each other, to love on each other,” she said, wearing a shirt that read, “We love our children.”
Contact Douglass Dowty at ddowty@syracuse.com or 470-6070.