A chilling incident occurred in North Braddock, Pennsylvania, as a man wielding a gun stormed into a church on Sunday during a sermon and aimed it directly at the pastor. The incident was captured on video, showing the moment of terror and the courageous actions of a parishioner who tackled the suspect.
In a heart-stopping incident, a Pennsylvania pastor was forced to duck for cover during a Sunday sermon as a man armed with a gun entered the church and pointed it at him from just a few feet away. The chilling moment was captured on video, which shows the suspect, later identified as 26-year-old Bernard Polite, walking up to the front of the church and aiming the weapon at the pastor, Reverend Glenn Germany.
As the congregation gasped in horror, a parishioner seated near the front row sprang into action. With astonishing bravery, the parishioner tackled Polite from behind and helped restrain him until police arrived. The quick-thinking actions of the parishioner averted a potential tragedy and prevented anyone from being injured during the incident.
Reverend Germany, understandably shaken but uninjured, later expressed his gratitude for being alive and praised the heroics of the parishioner who intervened. He described the assailant as a young man dealing with mental illness and revealed that Polite had claimed to be "possessed by spirits."
Polite is now facing charges of attempted homicide, aggravated assault, and reckless endangerment. He is currently being held without bail at the Allegheny County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court again on May 13.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Polite allegedly told police that "God told me to do it" and that he intended to kill the pastor. He also reportedly expressed a desire to go to jail to "clear his mind."
The Allegheny County Police Department has launched a separate homicide investigation into another incident that occurred on Stokes Avenue, where Polite has relatives residing. Authorities are urging anyone with information on the cases to contact the tip line at 1-833-ALL-TIPS.
The incident has sent shockwaves through the North Braddock community and has raised concerns about the safety of places of worship. It serves as a reminder of the importance of remaining vigilant and the need for robust security measures to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
