A church service in Pennsylvania was interrupted on Sunday when a man attempted to shoot the pastor during his sermon, leaving the congregation in shock.
According to the Pennsylvania State Police, the incident happened at Jesus’ Dwelling Place Church in North Braddock, Pennsylvania.
According to the authorities, the suspected gunman, identified as Bernard Junior Polite, 26, entered the church a little after 1:00 pm EST and attempted to shoot the pastor while he was giving the sermon.
Man arrested after allegedly attempting to shoot pastor during sermonhttps://t.co/yjnckQSWr6
— MSN (@MSN) May 6, 2024
Authorities also said that the suspect’s firearm failed to discharge, and a congregation member took action by grabbing the suspect before anyone was harmed.
The member and the pastor were able to disarm the suspect before the police arrived.
In a statement to the media, the pastor, identified as Glenn Germany, recounted the incident and expressed gratitude to God.
“I’m thankful to God that I’m still here because he pulled the trigger,” Pastor Germany said.
Germany also told the media that he had never seen the suspect before but claimed the suspect made direct eye contact with him before attempting the attack.
“I started to preach, and all of a sudden, from my left-hand side, I saw him move from the back to the front of the church, and he set up in the front corner of the church and smiled at me,” Germany said. “All of a sudden, I just saw a gun pointing right at me. And at that point, all I could try to do was run for cover.”
Germany also praised the congregation member who took action to subdue the suspect.
“He could have lost his life in that struggle, but he sacrificed himself for everyone, and he’s the hero,” Germany said.
According to CBS News, the suspect revealed to Germany that there were voices in his head that commanded him to shoot the pastor.
“This guy is just dealing with spirits, he said, and he came in and wanted to shoot somebody,” Germany said. “He said you ducked a taco today; that’s what he told me, and I guess that’s slang for you dodged a bullet.”
A Pennsylvania man pulled a gun on the pastor and allegedly attempted to shoot him during his sermon.https://t.co/sjSoOfGfyL
— ABC News (@ABC) May 6, 2024
Polite now faces multiple charges, including aggravated assault and attempted homicide.
