An American pastor has miraculously escaped death following the refusal of a shot fired by a gunman to go off.
Reverend Glenn Germany of Jesus’ Dwelling Place Church in North Braddock, Pennsylvania, was preaching on the pulpit on Sunday May 5 when the gun wielding man, Bernard J. Polite, entered the church and released the gunshot but it got jammed.
Germany shared the incident in a nearly four-minute video on his Facebook page.
In the video, the clergyman had just spoken to his congregation for a little over two minutes when Mr Polite walked into the frame and almost immediately pointed a gun at him.
In an apparent move to protect himself, Germany held his hands up and began to run for cover behind the pulpit.
Polite then moved towards the pulpit to get his target but was attacked from behind by a deacon of the church, Clarence McCallister. The deacon was quickly joined by Germany to subdue and disarm the gunman until a state trooper arrived.
God told me to do it – Polite
Polite, 26, in court documents cited by The Associated Press (AP), told authorities that God asked him to shoot Reverend Germany.
“God told me to do it,” he said, adding that he planned to “wait to be arrested” so he could go to jail to clear his mind.
The documents also said Polite did not have any connection with the church before the incident. He was quoted as saying that he just heard the music from the church and decided to go inside.
The gunman was charged to court for aggravated assault and attempted homicide.
Meanwhile, authorities said they found the body of 56 years old Derek Polite though it has yet to be established if the young Polite is linked to the killing.
Germany praises God
Reverend Germany has praised God for saving his life.
He told Trib Live that the incident shook the church’s congregation.
“You can tell it brought us closer together as a church. We just stayed there, spoke about the incident, and saw how the children were doing. The adults were all fine, and we just really talked with one another,” he said.
He recounted what he was trying to do when he saw Polite pull out the gun.
“When I saw the gun, I was trying to get out of the way. I didn’t have time to think, I just reacted,” he said.
The clergyman further explained that several of his family members, including his wife, daughter and brother, Gary Germany (the senior pastor of the church) were among the congregants.
He said, “Watching the effect on my daughter when we got in the car, seeing her break down, it really just broke me down. Just making sure she’s ok has been my priority at this point.”
Germany commended McCallister for his intervention, describing the deacon a hero.
He said, “He was unselfish and unafraid to actually jump on a guy who he saw having a gun. I am just glad and grateful. It was truly a miracle.”
“I’m feeling grateful that I woke up this morning and that I’m here. It could have gone an opposite direction. God has intervened and I’m grateful to Him,” the pastor told The Associated Press in another interview.
Deacon speaks
Speaking of the incident, McCallister, who was operating the cameras for the Facebook Live broadcast, said he was thankful because Polite did not shoot and no congregant was physically hurt.
“I was just hoping he didn’t get a shot off. I was hoping that the pastor quickly got out of the way. I’m thankful that the pastor was getting out of the way, and that the bullet got jammed in the gun. I’m so thankful that nobody got hurt. Thank God that that bullet got jammed in the chamber,” the deacon said.