Attempted church shooting caught on camera during livestream of worship service
A Pennsylvania pastor is crediting God with keeping him safe on Sunday during an attempted shooting that became part of his church’s livestreamed worship service.
The Rev. Glenn Germany of Jesus’ Dwelling Place Church in North Braddock, Pennsylvania, said God jammed the attacker’s gun.
“He pulled the gun; it clicked,” the pastor told WPXI News in Pittsburgh. “You heard him shoot it. God jammed the gun so the bullet didn’t come out.”
Video of the service shows a man walking up the aisle of the church toward the Rev. Germany and raising a gun. The pastor took shelter behind the pulpit as a church member tackled the man.
“(The Rev.) Germany and the congregant then worked together to wrest the gun away from (the man), who was soon subdued and held until state troopers arrived,” The Associated Press reported.
Law enforcement has since identified the man with the gun as Bernard J. Polite, 26. “He faces numerous charges, including aggravated assault and attempted homicide, and was being held Monday without bail at the Allegheny County Jail,” per The Associated Press.
Polite allegedly told the police that he felt God wanted him to attack the Rev. Germany.
“According to the criminal complaint, Polite confessed to police that he tried to shoot Germany because, ‘God told him to do it,’ and that he wanted to go to jail to clear his mind,” Pittsburgh’s WTAE News reported.
Nonprofit Security Grant Program supports churches
The attempted shooting at Jesus’ Dwelling Place Church in Pennsylvania happened the same day that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced an increase in the funding available to houses of worship with security concerns.
Churches, as well as synagogues, mosques and other houses of worship, can now apply to be part of this year’s $400 million Nonprofit Security Grant Program to get financial support for security upgrades.
“We’re going to keep funding so that no synagogue or other religious institution is going to have to live in the fear that they now live with,” Schumer said, according to The Associated Press.
The Rev. Germany was not asked about the grant program, but he told WPXI News that he has no plans to change his church’s approach to security after the incident. He said he plans keep his church’s doors open and welcome newcomers.
Similarly, he told The Associated Press that he’s feeling grateful rather than scared.
“I am feeling grateful that I woke up this morning and that I am here. It could have gone an opposite direction,” the pastor said. “But God has intervened and I am grateful for him.”
