A Pennsylvania pastor believes that divine intervention saved his life after a gunman attempted to open fire on him during Sunday service.
The Rev. Glenn Germany was preaching to his congregation at Jesus’ Dwelling Place Church in the Pittsburgh suburb of North Braddock when a man walked up to the pulpit and pointed a gun at him.
Germany ducked and hid behind a podium, but not before the man pulled the trigger. It was “a miracle of God,” the pastor later told “Good Morning America,” when the gun jammed and no bullet was fired.
A church member tackled the suspect to the ground, and Germany helped subdue the suspect until police arrived. The incident was captured on the church’s live streamed video.
The suspect has been identified as 26-year-old Bernard Junior Polite. According to Germany, he had never seen the gunman before Sunday, WTAE reported.
Polite faces charges of attempted criminal homicide, aggravated assault and recklessly endangering another person, according to court records.
He was arraigned early Monday morning, and his preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 13, according to court records.
After the attempted shooting at the church in North Braddock, police found the body of a man with a gunshot wound at Polite’s house. The victim was identified as 56-year-old Derek Polite, a relative of the suspect. Police spokesperson Jim Madalinsky confirmed that Bernard Polite lives at the residence where the shooting occurred and is related to the shooting victim.
