Man ministering to homeless dies after ‘sucker punch’

Charge against Corey Todd upgraded to murder after John Bagley dies

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A man who spent his life serving God and ministering to others died after a homeless man punched him, police say.

Family members said John Bagley, 81, was a Vietnam veteran who preached to the homeless as a member of Keepin’ It Real Ministries. His son, Keith Bagley, said his dad carried stacks of McDonald’s gift cards to pass out to the homeless who gather in a Columbia park.

Bagley said Corey Todd, 42, asked his father for money on Sept. 10. Pastor Oscar Gadsden said Todd then sucker-punched his father. Gadsden said Todd appeared to have mental health issues.

"I believe that the young man who hit him has a mental condition," Gadsden said.

More