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Claire Reid
A man in Florida has been arrested after he allegedly shot his pastor cousin during an argument regarding Heaven and Hell.
Twenty-six-year-old atheist Ke’shawn NeSmith got into an argument with his second cousin Jimmy McGauley following a funeral for a family, according to a police report.
Police were dispatched to Melson Avenue in Jacksonville, Florida, on Saturday 8 following a report of a person being shot.
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The report explained: "Investigation revealed that the victim, Jimmy McGauley, and the suspect, Ke'shawn NeSmith, became involved in an argument, after a funeral for a family member, regarding Heaven and Hell. "The suspect did not believe in God and the victim was a pastor who was trying to witness to him."
The argument became heated and NeSmith went outside in anger ‘as other family members attempted to calm him down’.
The report claims McGauley, 46, was then shot by NeSmith as he ‘exited the residence’.
The report goes on to say family members detained NeSmith until cops arrived and he was arrested.
It reads: "Witnesses at the scene stated that the victim did not threaten the suspect in any way, and he was not armed with any weapons when he was shot. Family members detained the suspect at the scene until police arrived."
Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office have said NeSmith is facing charges of attempted murder, use of a firearm during the commission of a felony and carrying a concealed firearm, as police said a database check determined he did not have a licence. All charges are felonies.
McGauley underwent surgery for his injuries, but no further information on his condition has been shared.
According to a study from the American Enterprise Institute, younger people are turning away from religion - with 34 percent of Gen Z identifying as ‘religious unaffiliated’, while 18 percent said they were atheist or agnostic.
Daniel A. Cox, senior fellow in polling and public opinion at the American Enterprise Institute said the drop off in religious following could be due to how the generation was raised.
He said: "It's not only a lack of religious affiliation that distinguishes Generation Z. They are also far more likely to identify as atheist or agnostic.
"Young adults today have had entirely different religious and social experiences than previous generations. The parents of millennials and Generation Z did less to encourage regular participation in formal worship services and model religious behaviours in their children than had previous generations."