A pastor found himself looking down the barrel of a gun Sunday when a man rushed the front of his church during the sermon.
Video of the incident posted to the church’s Facebook page showed Pastor Glenn Germany preaching at Jesus’ Dwelling Place Church in North Braddock, Pennsylvania, when a man entered the frame of the video pointing a gun at Germany.
What was not seen is the moment the man — identified by police as Bernard Polite of North Braddock — pulled the trigger, according to KDKA-AM in Pittsburgh.
“I thank God because only God stopped and jammed this gun,” Germany said.
“I’m thankful to God that I’m still here, because he definitely pulled the trigger,” the pastor said, according to WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh.
Germany ducked for cover as the gunman stepped over an altar rail and advanced upon the pulpit.
At that point, Deacon Clarence McCallister leaped the rail and tackled the gunman.
Germany then joined in to take the gun away and hold the man until police arrived.
“[T]hank GOD for Deacon Clarence Mccallister the true GOD Sent Hero,” the pastor posted on Facebook along with a video of the incident.
The gunman appears just after the 2:00 mark:
McCallister said it seemed necessary.
“There’s something that needs to be done and I jumped up and handled my business,” he told KDKA.
Germany said the gunman “was just dealing with spirits he said, and he came in and wanted to shoot somebody.”
“I started to begin 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,” the pastor told WTAE.
“All of a sudden, I just saw a gun pointing right at me. And at that point, all I could try to do is run for cover,” he said.
Germany said the gunman, who faces charges of aggravated assault and attempted homicide, apologized — and the pastor forgave him.
A criminal complaint said the 26-year-old gunman told police he sought to shoot Germany because “God told him to do it.”
Should churches increase security measures?
Police reported that on Sunday evening, the body of Derek Polite, 56, was found in Bernard Polite’s home in North Braddock.
The time of Polite’s death and the relationship between the two men was not established as of Monday morning.
