A church service in Pennsylvania nearly took a fatal turn this week when a man pointed a gun at a pastor in the middle of his sermon.
Bernard Polite, 26, of Braddock, Pa., was charged after he entered the church Sunday and attempted to shoot Pastor Glenn Germany while he was giving his weekly speech at Jesus’ Dwelling Place Church.
The attempted shooting took place shortly after 1 p.m. on Sunday and was filmed and posted online for all to see the horrific moment.
Bernard Polite, 26, of Braddock, Pa., was charged after he entered the church Sunday and attempted to shoot Pastor Glenn Germany while he was giving his weekly speech at Jesus’ Dwelling Place Church.
The video shows the moment Germany finds himself staring down the barrel of a gun fired at him by a disheveled-looking man.
Miraculously, no bullets came out and the shooter was then quickly tackled by church deacon Clarence McCallister, who can be seen jumping in front of the camera and tackling the offender to the ground.
McCallister told CBS News he saw “something that needed to be done, and I jumped in and took care of business.”
Germany, whose life was likely saved by McCallister’s quick thinking, called him a “hero” but also credited God with being the one who “stopped and blocked this weapon “.
The two men were then able to keep Polite under control until police arrived and he was taken into custody.
“This guy was just dealing with spirits,” he said, “and he came in and wanted to shoot someone,” the pastor said.
He said Polite, who eventually apologized to Germany, was clearly dealing with some form of mental illness.
The pastor said he has forgiven his near-killer, but has yet to personally deal with the day’s events.
“The thing that hurts me the most and brings tears to my eyes because I couldn’t see my daughter break down,” he said.
Bernard Polite, 26, now faces several charges, including aggravated assault and attempted homicide, for attempting to shoot the pastor of a Pennsylvania church with a gun on Sunday.
Pastor Glenn Germany was nearly shot while delivering his sermon Sunday.
Shocked worshipers appear stunned following attempted shooting at service in Pennsylvania on Sunday
The spiritual leader’s 14-year-old sat in the pews during the service which took a somber turn.
“I still had to be strong, because I had to be strong for her, but I couldn’t take it, and just seeing her, that’s the part that’s hard for me to digest,” Germany added .
Before the shooting, Germany said Polite smiled at him and entered and exited the department several times.
He hopes to use this shocking incident to highlight the reality and severity of mental illness in his own community and beyond.
The young man now faces multiple charges, including aggravated assault and attempted homicide.
He was denied bail and is expected to have a preliminary hearing on the charges next week.
Authorities are also investigating after a man was found shot to death in the home where Polite resides, less than a mile from the church.
Police said they found a man, identified as Derek Polite, 56, shot to death. The relationship between the two Polites is not 100% clear, but local media reported that the alleged church shooter lived with his uncle.
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