Current:Home > NewsTradeEdge Exchange:Man points gun at Pennsylvania pastor during church, police later find body at man's home -EquityZone
TradeEdge Exchange:Man points gun at Pennsylvania pastor during church, police later find body at man's home
Indexbit View
Date:2025-04-08 16:30:47
Law enforcement in Western Pennsylvania are TradeEdge Exchangeinvestigating after video footage shows a 26-year-old man pulled a gun on a preacher during a live-streamed church service Sunday.
Police are also investigating after they reported that officers also found a man fatally shot to death in the suspect's home later that evening.
Just before 1:10 p.m., Pennsylvania State Police say troopers responded to Jesus' Dwelling Place Church in North Braddock after the suspect enter the church and attempted to shoot the preacher during his sermon.
North Braddock, a borough in Allegheny County, is about 9 miles southeast of downtown Pittsburgh.
'Jezebel spirit':Pastor kicked off stage at Christian conference in Missouri
Suspect identified, pastor speaks
Troopers identified the suspect as Bernard Junior Polite of North Braddock.
"Polite pointed a firearm at the pastor, attempted to shoot, but the firearm failed to discharge," police wrote in a news release.
"The gun did not go off, but he definitely pulled the trigger," the preacher, Glenn Germany, told USA TODAY Monday morning by phone. "It was a gentleman who randomly did something up the road... and the next place he came was the church. He said spirits were telling him to shoot a pastor."
Video shows suspect point gun directly at preacher in pulpit
Video obtained by USA TODAY shows a man in a black T-shirt walk directly toward Germany as he preaches, pull out a firearm and aim it directly at him.
Immediately, a church congregant runs up behind the armed suspect, tackles him and Germany and another churchgoer help disarm the suspect on the ground.
Germany identified the congregant who tackled the suspect as Clarence McCallister, a 63-year-old deacon who has attended the church for the past nine years.
"Everything is well," Germany said, his voice raspy as if he had not slept much. "At this point it's just about being grateful. "
'He smiled at me', pastor says of man who pulled gun on him
Prior to the armed suspect entering the sanctuary, Germany said he noticed the suspect in the building.
"He came in and out of the church a couple times, during praise and worship and then all the sudden he sat in the back and came to the front and he smiled at me," Germany recalled.
"He stopped in the middle of the pulpit, pulled the gun out and it just jammed," Germany recalled, before covering his face with his hands and trying to take cover.
Body later found at home near church
Later that day, at 8:15 p.m., the Allegheny County Police Department reported officers found a man fatally shot inside the home where Polite lives.
Police reported the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner's office identified the fatal shooting victim to USA TODAY as Derek Polite, 56, of North Braddock.
As of Monday afternoon no charges had been filed in connection to the homicide and it was not immediately known how the armed church suspect and person found dead in the home were related.
USA TODAY has reached out to state troopers and police for confirmation.
Australian church stabbing:Sydney church stabbing that left 4 including bishop hurt deemed 'terrorist' act, sparked riot
Germany was preaching about miracles before gun jammed
Germany, who has worked at the church for 14 years, said about 50 people regularly attend the Sunday morning church service,
The preacher said his brother, Gary Germany, is the church's senior pastor who usually preaches each Sunday.
Before the melee, Germany said he was preaching about understanding God's ways.
"How he is able to heal and perform miracles, and how his ways can keeping you out of harms way," Germany said.
After police arrived and took the suspect into custody, Germany said the congregation stayed at the church for several hours to support one another and try and make some sense of what took place
"We stayed until 5 p.m. trying to decipher the whole situation," Germany said. "We were all ignorant as to why he came in. No one knew him."
"I really thank God because I was informed after church the police were at his house and found (a relative) shot to death," Germany said.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.
veryGood! (866)
Related
- Realtor group picks top 10 housing hot spots for 2025: Did your city make the list?
- Matthew McConaughey's Wife Camila Alves Details Scary Plane Experience With Emergency Landing
- Polar explorer, once diagnosed with terminal cancer, still lives for adventure
- King Charles III visit to France delayed by protests as anger mounts over Macron's pension reforms
- Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
- Transcript: Rikki Klieman, Bill Bratton and Robert Costa Face the Nation panel, March 26, 2023
- Chris Rock Says Will Smith Has Selective Outrage With Oscars Slap During Netflix Comedy Special
- Rachael Ray Show Is Ending After 17 Seasons
- Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
- Keke Palmer Gets Real About Motherhood Struggles After Welcoming Baby Boy
Ranking
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Sleek and shiny torch for Paris Olympics unveiled with carbon footprint in mind and a year to go
- Channel Nature Into Your Wardrobe With The Fashion-Forward Gorpcore Trend
- Selena Gomez Proves She’s a “Texas Girl at Heart” With Glimpse Into Family Fishing Trip
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- CNN's Kasie Hunt Gives Birth in Her Bathroom After 13-Minute Sudden Labor
- Ariana Madix Supported by Kristen Doute and More VPR Co-Stars After Tom Sandoval Split
- North Korea says latest missile test was nuclear counterstrike simulation
Recommendation
Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
Shop These 26 Home, Beauty & Fashion Faves From Women of Color-Founded Brands
Pope Francis expands sex abuse law, reaffirms adults can be victims
Gunmen kill 11 in ambush blamed on decades-old family feud in Pakistan
Average rate on 30
TikTok's Favorite Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Lip Gloss Is Finally Back in Stock
Jena Malone Says She Was Sexually Assaulted While Filming Final Hunger Games
Prince Harry Praises Meghan Markle as an Exceptional Human Being