A man from Pennsylvania was taken into police custody after attempting to shoot a Christian pastor while he was preaching a sermon that was being livestreamed during a Sunday service, just hours before one of his relatives dead body was discovered in a home where the suspect lived, according to information obtained from local authorities.
Being a Christian, especially a leader in the Body of Christ who is tasked with preaching the fullness of the gospel and the Word of the Lord in a world that has grown extremely hostile to God. We always need to have our hearts prepared to meet very serious cases of resistance to the work we’re trying to do on behalf of the Lord Jesus Christ.
A report published by NBC News has revealed:
Bernard Junior Polite, 26, of Braddock, had walked into Jesus Dwelling Place Church in the 400 block of Lobinger Avenue in Allegheny County, about 10 miles east of downtown Pittsburgh, just after 1 p.m.
He entered the church and pointed a firearm at the pastor as he was delivering a sermon and attempted to shoot, “but the firearm failed to discharge,” Pennsylvania State Police said in a news release.
The terrifying ordeal was captured on a livestream of Sunday’s sermon that showed the moment Polite, dressed in black, wordlessly approached Glenn Germany preaching on stage and pointed what appeared to be a silver handgun at him.
The pastor managed to get away from the shots fired at him by running to a podium located close by as his congregation was heard screaming in shock. The suspect then made his way to a banister located in front of the stage. And that’s when Clarence McCallister, a deacon, ran up behind Polite and tackled him to the ground.
Germany then pried the gun out of Polite’s hands and held him on the ground. State police said that the pastor and a congregation member held Polite until authorities arrived.
“He stood up and he smiled at me, and it was just a smile, but he comes to right here and then all of a sudden that’s when I see him pull a gun and all I could do was just duck and get out of the way,” Germany stated during an interview with NBC affiliate WPXI of Pittsburgh.
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“It clicked. You heard him shoot it. So, God jammed the gun so that the bullet didn’t come out,” Germany recounted. He then revealed he spoke with Polite after the incident.
“He said, ‘Look, spirits was in my mind. They got in my mind and they told me come in and shoot the pastor.’ He actually apologized to me. I told him that I forgive you and want you to know that I love you,” Germany said.
The fact he was so quick to forgive is a testimony to the power of the Holy Spirit working to transform a person into the image of Jesus Christ. Such an ability is a miracle of God and it’s not possible by human effort.
“God had his hands on the pastor,” McCallister said in comments given to the station. “He wasn’t letting him go nowhere.”
Polite was charged with criminal attempted homicide, aggravated assault and recklessly endangering another person, court records show. He was arraigned around 1:15 a.m. Monday and denied bail, and was being held at Allegheny County Jail.
A few hours later, local authorities made a disturbing discovery at Polite’s home.
At 8:15 p.m. Sunday, the Allegheny County Police Departmentresponded to a house in the 500 block of Stokes Avenue in North Braddock and found an adult male, identified as Derek Polite, 56, deceased. The medical examiner said Derek Polite had been shot. A homicide investigation is underway.
A spokesperson representing Allegheny County Police stated Bernard Polite is related to the victim that was discovered.
“At this point, no charges have been filed in connection with the homicide and it remains an active investigation,” police spokesperson Jim Madalinsky explained.
Cindy Davis and Ben Jordan, who live next door to the Polites, told NBC News that they were surprised to hear of the attempted church shooting. Davis described both Bernard Polite and Derek Polite as quiet and nice, noting she’d see Bernard play football with people in the area.
An individual who is related to Bernard and Derek Polite, who wanted to remain anonymous, spoke with the media and stated they were attending a party celebrating Cinco de Mayo when they saw the video of the attempted shooting on Facebook. People at the party recognized Polite as the shooter.
The relative said the family is in shock over Polite’s behavior. They never would have imagined Bernard Polite carrying out such an evil assault.
The relative said that Bernard had moved in with Derek several years ago and has a history of mental illness but that there have been no alarming incidents since he has been in the Pittsburgh area.
Pray for the Polite family as they deal with Bernard’s actions and the families that attend the church where this horrific incident occurred.
Praise the heavens, the preacher was unharmed as the gun failed to discharge during his sermon. 😳😳😳 pic.twitter.com/hNQAajDHmz
— Uncensored USA 🇺🇸 (@CarlosSimancas) May 6, 2024