Bernard Polite, 26, from Braddock, has been charged by Pennsylvania State Police for attempting to shoot Pastor Glenn Germany at Jesus’ Dwelling Place Church around 1 p.m. Sunday.
During a church service in North Braddock, Pennsylvania, the startling incident unfolded as a man brandished a gun toward the pastor mid-sermon.
Video footage captured by the church’s deacon, shared online by Pastor Germany, showed the tense moment as the pastor faced the firearm.
However, in what seemed like divine intervention to Germany, the gun failed to discharge.
“I thank God because only God stopped and jammed this gun,” Germany said, according to reports.
Acting swiftly, Deacon Clarence McCallister intervened, tackling Polite to the ground. Together, they managed to restrain him until law enforcement arrived. Reflecting on the incident, Pastor Germany said McCallister was a hero for his quick actions.
During his encounter with Polite at police custody, Germany said, “This guy was just dealing with spirits, and he came in and wanted to shoot somebody,” Germany said, adding that Polite said there were voices in his mind.
Pastor Germany said he recognised signs of mental illness in Polite’s behaviour. He also said he apologised to him and forgave him.
According to Germany, the congregation members stuck around at the church after the incident to help each other.
“You can tell it brought us closer together as a church,” he said. “We just stayed there and supported one another, spoke about the incident, saw how the children were doing. The adults were all fine, and we just really talked with one another.”
However, the gravity of the situation weighed heavily on Pastor Germany, particularly after he witnessed his daughter’s distress during the ordeal.
“Watching the effect on my daughter, when we got in the car, seeing her break down, it just broke me down.
“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 said, as reported by CBS News.
Read: Peter Obi Condemns Deportation of Osun Citizens by Lagos Authorities
About The Author
