A man identified as Bernard Polite, 26, aimed a gun at Rev. Glenn Germany during a sermon at Jesus' Dwelling Place Church in North Braddock, Pennsylvania, but the gun malfunctioned and churchgoers subdued the suspect.
### Pennsylvania Man Aims Gun at Pastor in Church, Interrupts Sermon on Video
A horrifying scene unfolded in a North Braddock, Pennsylvania, church on Sunday, May 5, 2024, when a man identified as Bernard Polite, 26, interrupted a church service and pointed a gun at the pastor, Rev. Glenn Germany.
Video footage captured the shocking incident, which occurred in the middle of Germany's Sunday sermon. Polite walked up to the front of the church and aimed the weapon at the pastor's face.
Miraculously, the gun malfunctioned when Polite pulled the trigger, preventing a potentially deadly outcome. The congregation gasped in horror as Germany dove behind the pulpit.
Deacon Clarence McCallister, who was operating a camera that recorded the ordeal, sprang into action. He jumped over a railing and tackled Polite before he could take another shot.
"I heard it click, and I thought, ‘Oh, my God, thank God that gun jammed,’" McCallister told Fox News Digital.
He added that he had never seen the suspect before in the church or in public.
"My pastor's life was in danger. I had to do something," McCallister said.
McCallister took control of the handgun as Germany sat with the disarmed suspect near the front of the church.
"Call the police, somebody," McCallister can be heard saying, wiping sweat from his brow with his other hand.
Pennsylvania State Police arrested Polite at the scene, and Allegheny County police found a dead body in a nearby home where Polite had relatives. They are conducting a homicide investigation.
According to witnesses and police documents, Polite displayed signs of mental illness.
"He was in the church for a while," McCallister said. "He could have killed anybody, but the voice that he heard told him to kill the pastor."
Both McCallister and Germany told Fox News Digital that they had never seen the suspect before. Public records show he has ties to New Jersey.
Polite was being held without bail at the Allegheny County Jail on charges of attempted homicide, aggravated assault, and recklessly endangering another person. He is due back in court on May 13.
Germany told Fox News Digital on Monday that he was grateful to be alive and in "excellent" spirits.
"God has a purpose for me to be here, and I'm going to keep doing what God has called me to do," he said.
