41 Year Old Pastor Gunned Down In Baltimore

A 41-year-old associate pastor at a local church who also worked as an elementary school aide was fatally shot as she got into her car Friday morning in North Baltimore.

The crime, which has perplexed investigators, comes amid a spike in violence this week.

“This is the woman you want as your neighbor, the woman you want in your community,” said police spokesman T.J. Smith. “And some coward guns her down at 7:30 in the morning.”

The killing of Latrina Ashburne occurred as she got into her car outside the home she shared with her mother in the 2900 block of Rosalind Ave. in the Cylburn neighborhood, according to police and a relative.

An unknown male approached and shot her in the upper body as she tried to run, police said.

“We don’t have a motive in this case. We don’t know why this took place, and it’s absolutely concerning to us,” Smith said.

Ashburne was an associate pastor at the Kingdom Restoration Center church on York Road. She also worked as a teacher’s aide at Francis Scott Key Elementary School, according to her uncle, the Rev. Christian Hall, who is senior pastor at the church.

Hall said his niece had been a preacher since her teens.

“She started as a young minister and just kind of fell in love with ministry,” Hall said. “She was not only an elder, but also the youth coordinator of our ministry. She loved helping young people.”

Hall said Ashburne preached at churches throughout the area and considered herself a “prayer warrior” who ministered to those in need. He described her as an introverted person, which he said made her death all the more shocking.