A church service in Pennsylvania came to a terrifying halt Sunday when authorities said a man pointed a gun at the pastor and allegedly tried to shoot him during his sermon.
The incident occurred at Jesus’ Dwelling Place Church in North Braddock, Pennsylvania, shortly after 1 p.m. ET, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
The suspected shooter, who police identified as Bernard Junior Polite, 26, entered the church and allegedly attempted to shoot Pastor Glenn Germany as he delivered his sermon live, according to police.
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The suspect’s gun did not fire and a congregation member and the pastor were able to subdue and disarm him before anyone was injured, police said.
“I thank God that I’m still here because he definitely pulled the trigger,” Germany told ABC News affiliate WTAE.
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Describing the alarming encounter, Germany told the outlet that Polite smiled at him before the attempted attack.
“I started preaching, and all of a sudden, on my left side, I saw him moving from the back to the front of the church, and he sat in the front corner from the church and smiled at me,” Germany said.
“All of a sudden, I saw a gun pointed straight at me. And at that moment, all I could do was run for cover,” he said. declared.
The pastor then praised the congregation member who took action to subdue Polite, saying, “He could have lost his life in that fight, but he sacrificed himself for everyone, and he is the hero. »
The suspect was detained at the church until Pennsylvania State Police arrived on scene and arrested him.
Police said charges have been filed. Information about Polite’s indictment and legal representation was not immediately available.
Man arrested after allegedly trying to shoot pastor during sermon originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
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