The Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus will hold policy hearings in Erie on Monday.  But on Sunday night, two of the members took time to meet with Erie pastors, community leaders and family over the Marchello Woodard tragedy.  The pledged their help to get some answers.

They met at Abundant Life Ministries on Parade Street, not far from where Marchello Woodard, sitting in his car, was shot and killed the night of July 2, in an altercation with PA state parole officer making a compliance check.  At the meeting, two members of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus, representatives of Erie's African American Concerned Clergy, community leaders and members of the Woodard family.

The message from the pastors to the caucus was clear according to Pastor Ryan Gaines, President of the clergy group. "Silence is right now very detrimental.  Silence is affecting the family, silence is affecting the community," Pastor Gaines said.

Pastor Gaines implored the investigative team to say something, pointing out that Woodard's own father, who addressed the meeting, is feeling in the dark about the investigation, which is led by Pennsylvania State Police and Erie County detectives. "Mr. Woodard, Charles Woodard got up and spoke, the family doesn't have a clue where they're even at with the investigation, are they working daily, are they not working daily," Gaines said adding, "that is where the distrust is developing day after day."

As they listened and prayed together, democratic Rep. Napoleon Nelson, of Montgomery County, who serves as president of the caucus said their leadership is well aware of the wait. "We've all been waiting for a long time to understand what happened that night, and most importantly to understand what's going to happen next - I think that's a really really important process of building community trust."

And they're well aware of the need for answers."There are so many answers that haven't yet been provided.  Feels like we've got nothing but questions -- but there are some answers out there and we're going to find them," Rep. Nelson said.

Rep. Nelson is concerned that the wait is eroding trust. "There is nothing more important from a public safety perspective than trust between those who wear that badge or who pledge and dedicate themselves to the safety of the community and the trust from the community that that's what they're going to do  and in Erie that's been broken," the caucus president said.

Pastor Gaines said prayer is very important right now.  "Things could go either way and we do need God right now to keep peace to keep calmness until we get the proper answers and things like that and so that the community can heal together," he said.

When their investigation is complete, officers will turn their findings over to Erie County District Attorney Elizabeth Hirz for her review and decision on how the case will proceed, including whether any criminal charges are warranted. Hirz has been quiet in recent weeks, but early in the investigative process she issued a statement saying that this is a complex investigation, and that her decisions will be based solely on the facts.