Man charged in pastor’s death has initial court appearance

COVINGTON, Ky. (AP) — A man charged with fatally shooting a minister outside a northern Kentucky church will be held without bond.

Frederick Davis, 40, had an initial court appearance Monday and the case was continued until Nov. 12 for a preliminary hearing, Kenton County Circuit Clerk John Middleton said.

Davis was charged with murder, assault, criminal mischief and violating a protection order. Police say he killed the Rev. Donald Fairbanks and wounded another man Saturday morning outside Ninth Street Baptist Church in Covington, where the two went to attend a funeral.

Davis’ attorney, Dennis Alerding Jr., said his client will plead not guilty, but declined to comment further.

Fairbanks, 62, was pastor of St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church in Cincinnati, and the wounded man, Dowdell Cobb, was a deacon there.

Fairbanks and Cobb were shot just before 11 a.m. on Saturday, police said. The gunman chased Fairbanks to a nearby park, where he shot him a second time, The Kentucky Enquirer reported.

Davis, of Covington, quickly surrendered to police.

Fairbanks was taken to St. Elizabeth Medical Center where he died. Cobb is recovering at University Hospital in Cincinnati.

Fairbanks wife, Elizabeth Fairbanks, said Monday she and her husband knew Davis “indirectly.”

“The only thing I can say about that is pastors come into contact with all kinds of people,” she said. “This is a sick man.”

Elizabeth Fairbanks said Davis had made threats against the couple because he was unhappy about some counseling the pastor had given him over the phone. She said she didn’t know details of the counseling.

She said her husband had been pastor at the church, which has more than 1,000 members, for 22 years. Although he was well known for his musical abilities, she said he wanted to be remembered for his preaching.

Last year, Fairbanks filed a complaint accusing Davis of making a threatening phone call to his wife, records showed. Davis pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in October 2007 and a judge sentenced him to a year of probation and ordered him to stay away from Fairbanks and New St. Paul Baptist Church.

Members of the church held Sunday worship with Fairbanks’ stepson, the Rev. Ronald Glover, leading the service and calling for forgiveness.