TYLER, Texas — The community is in shock after a contractor fell to his death while working on a roofing job at Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler.
In an interview with CBS19, Executive Pastor Hixon Frank said the church staff is doing everything they can while Tyler Police and The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigate.
"Our goal really is to not just cooperate with authorities. But our goal is to figure out ways we can minister to the family," Frank said.
According to the Tyler Police Dept., the incident occurred around 9 a.m. on Monday. Police say the worker fell through the roof of the gym at the church.
Frank said there was a senior adult exercise class in session at the gym when the fatal fall happened.
"Thankfully, none of them were injured. But they've been through a traumatic experience, as well. And so we're going to minister in ways that we can right now and look for other opportunities to do so in the future," he said.
The church has counseling set up for anyone that's been affected by this tragedy.
The name of the man is being withheld pending family notification, but Frank said church members have been in contact with the brother to figure out how they can help.
"Right now, we're kind of waiting for the dust to settle and to make sure that we're meeting real needs, not just stepping in and meeting needs we think need to be met," he said.
Frank said they hired a roofing company to fix some of the damage sustained by the various storms that have passed through East Texas within the last couple of years.
"This is something that no one expected. But we want to take care of them as best we can. So we're ready to do that," he said.
CBS19 news crews on the scene witnessed several contractors working to fix the roof Tuesday afternoon. Details are limited, but OSHA will take the lead in investigating the case
CBS19 will update this article as more information becomes available.