Thomas Hand, the husband of former Miss Mississippi Christine Kozlowski Hand, was reportedly sharing the Gospel on a street in Montgomery, Alabama, Jan. 22 when he was shot and killed. The couple had announced just two days earlier that Christine was pregnant with their second child.

According to a family friend, Hand was standing with his wife and 2-year-old son, telling a family about Jesus, when a shirtless, 17-year-old man approached and shot Hand, who died at the scene.

Police have charged the gunman, Jerimiah Walker, with capital murder in the presence of a child under 14. According to news accounts, the motive for the shooting remains unclear.

Hand, a former competitive bodybuilder and founder of a nutritional supplement company, was Mr. New Orleans in 2010, according to his company’s website. Friends say he came to faith in 2018, and he and his wife began going to low-income areas on Saturdays to tell people about Jesus.

“He studied the Bible day in and day out,” a friend told DailyMail.com. Hand reportedly hoped to become a preacher.

Christine Hand’s sister has set up a GoFundMe page for those who want to help. In a Facebook post, Christine said the nutritional supplement company will relocate to her hometown of Biloxi, Mississippi.

“Thank you for all of the thoughts and prayers during this time of the passing of my husband, Tommy Hand,” Christine wrote Jan. 23. “I feel the love and support from everyone and just wanted to let everyone know that indeed Tommy was shot and killed last night on Texas Street in Montgomery, AL. I appreciate and welcome all of the messages, I’m just overwhelmed with all the questions and retelling of the details of what happened.”

The funeral service for Thomas will take place Friday, Feb. 4, in New Orleans.

Photo: Hand family via GoFundMe