WRCBtv.com | Chattanooga News, Weather & SportsTuesday Funeral for Tennessee Man Slain in Africa

Tuesday Funeral for Tennessee Man Slain in Africa

Updated 10:13 PM

Cleveland (WRCB) - A line of mourners stretched outside the door of the First Baptist Church of Cleveland.  Visitation was held on Monday at the church, where Leggett was a member since he was a child.

Stan Gibson attended church with Chris and he said even at a young age, it was clear Chris had a big heart.  "I have known all of my life he loved people.  That is the way he was, he was always showing love to people," said Gibson.

Updated Monday, June 29

Associated Press - June 29, 2009 11:25 AM ET

CLEVELAND, Tenn. (AP) - The funeral for an East Tennessee man killed by gunmen in Africa is set Tuesday in his hometown of Cleveland.

Thirty-9-year-old Chris Leggett was killed June 23 on the streets of Nouakcott, the capital city of Mauritania.

An Arab satellite TV station aired an audio statement purportedly issued by a North African Al-Qaida group spokesman who said the group killed Leggett because he was allegedly trying to convert Muslims to Christianity.

The funeral will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday at First Baptist Church in Cleveland.

The Cleveland Daily Banner reports that Leggett had been in the West African nation for seven years where he directed a non-governmental humanitarian organization.

Leggett is survived by his wife and four children.

Information from: Cleveland Daily Banner, http://www.clevelandbanner.com/

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Updated Thursday 11am

NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania (AP) - Al-Jazeera TV says Al-Qaida's North Africa branch has claimed responsibility for the killing of an American aid worker shot dead this week in Mauritania's capital.

The Arab satellite TV station said it had received an audio statement from al-Qaida of the Islamic Maghreb in which the group said 39-year-old Christopher Ervin Leggett was killed Tuesday for allegedly trying to convert Muslims to Christianity. Leggett grew up in Cleveland, Tenn.

The authenticity of the statement reported Thursday could not be independently verified.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Updated Wednesday, 4 p.m.

CLEVELAND, Tenn. (WRCB) - Chris Leggett's family released this statement:

"A popular Cleveland native, Christopher Ervin (Chris) Leggett, was shot and killed Tuesday morning in the West African nation of Mauritania as he resisted the attempt by two men to kidnap him, according to reports from Nouakchott.

"Leggett, 39, and his wife, Jackie, and their four children had been living there for six years as he did humanitarian work while teaching at a school specializing in computer science in El Kasr, a lower-class neighborhood in Nouakchott, the Mauritanian capital.

"An unnamed police officer, who did not give his name because he was not authorized to speak to the press, said, "Two men had initially tried to kidnap Mr. Leggett. But he resisted and they shot him when they realized they could not overpower him."

"The U.S. State Department and U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander's office are working to expedite the return of Leggett's body to Cleveland, and the latest information indicates that could be Saturday. The U.S. Embassy is assisting with the return of the family, expected by Friday.

"Leggett was a 1986 graduate of Cleveland High School. He attended Cleveland State and graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 1990 with a degree in business and marketing.

"'Our family is deeply comforted by the outpouring of love and support we are receiving in this very difficult time," Jay Leggett, Chris's father, said this morning. "Linda and I are grateful for the many expressions of concern and for your prayers. It is because of God's grace and the encouragement of friends that we can face the loss of our beloved son.  Knowing Chris as we know him, he would have been willing to help those who brought harm to him, had he only had the chance."

"Funeral arrangements will be announced as opportunity allows."

Updated 11:45 p.m.

CLEVELAND, Tenn. (WRCB) - Eyewitness News has learned the American Aide worker killed in Africa on Tuesday is a local man.  Chris Leggett is a native of Cleveland.

Jim Gibson, Co-Pastor of First Baptist Church of Cleveland, said Leggett is a church member and visits yearly when he returns to the U.S.  Gibson said Leggett's wife and four children had lived in Africa for at least for years.

Gibson said Leggett's wife and children are safe, and he said at this time the family needs the community's prayers. 

"He grew up in the church and was very involved here and was just an incredibly likeable guy.  He loved life and loved helping other people live life to the fullest.  That is what he was committed to. He was well known and well liked," said Gibson.

Tuesday 6 p.m.

AFRICA (AP/WRCB) - Eyewitness News has confirmed that a humanitarian aide worker from Cleveland, Tenn. was shot and killed in Africa Tuesday morning in the African country of Mauritania. The victim was the director of a group working in the country.

He was killed by an unidentified gunman. The victim was shot in the head on a street in the usually quiet city of Nouakchott, the national capital.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility and the U.S. ambassador to Mauritania had no comment.

Mauritania is an ally of western countries in the fight against Al-Qaeda.

Tune into Eyewitness News at 11 for more details, and follow WRCBtv.com for details as the develop. It's coverage you can count on.