A man has been arrested after brandishing a gun at a Pennsylvania church.
The terrifying moment, captured on a livestream, occurred while Pastor Glenn Germany was delivering his sermon at Jesus’ Dwelling Place Church in North Braddock. A man identified as Bernard Polite opened fire, prompting Pastor Germany to seek cover behind the pulpit as panicked churchgoers shouted.
During the video, Polite is seen pulling out the firearm as Germany ducks behind the pulpit and churchgoers yell in the background. Approximately 25 people were present during the ordeal, as reported by the New York Post.
*Warning: graphic content below*
“He pulled the gun; it clicked,” Germany said of the incident, per the Post. “You heard him shoot it.”
Germany said Polite approached him and “smiled” at him, before wielding the firearm. He added, “God jammed the gun so the bullet didn’t come out.”
In a clip of the incident, the church’s deacon, Clarence McCallister is seen tussling with Polite, before Germany joins in to get the gun away from the suspect. They held him down until authorities came to the scene.
According to Germany, the suspect later shared with him that “spirits” had convinced him to open fire. “He said, ‘The spirits were in my mind. They got in my mind and told me to shoot the pastor,’” Germany recalled.
Germany said that Polite apologized to him. “I told him that ‘I forgive you and want you to know I love you,’ but yes, I definitely forgave him.”
After Polite was in custody, police found the body of 56-year-old Derek Polite who was fatally shot in the same home in which the suspect lives, close to the church. It’s unknown when Derek—a relative of the suspect—was killed.
Polite is looking at several charges, including aggravated assault and attempted homicide.
