Pennsylvania church attack’s eerie similarity to Wakeley stabbing
Shocking vision has emerged of a gunman aiming a weapon at a pastor delivering a live-streamed sermon, in scenes similar to the stabbing of a bishop at a church in Sydney’s west last month. Watch the video.
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Shocking vision has emerged from the US showing a gunman aiming a gun at a pastor delivering a sermon via live stream, with the scene drawing eerie similarities to the Wakeley church stabbing last month.
The vision depicts Pastor Glenn Germany delivering a sermon at Pennsylvania’s Jesus’ Dwelling Place Church on Sunday before a man walked to the front of the pews and pulled a gun on him.
It’s understood the gun failed to discharge and the alleged gunman — 26-year-old Bernard Polite — was tackled to the ground by the church’s deacon and later charged.
The New York Post reported the pastor told another news outlet WPXI: “He pulled the gun; it clicked,” he said.
Pastor Germany claimed the gunman was smiling at him before he brandished the weapon.
“He stood up and he smiled at me. And it was just a smile,” Mr Germany said to WPXI.
“He comes to right here and then all of a sudden, that’s when I see him pull the gun and all I could do is duck and try to get out of the way.”
Parishioners jumped in to subdue the attacker before police arrived.
An angry mob of thousands gathered out the front a short time after the attack, injuring police and destroying police cars just two days after the city was rocked by a knife massacre at Bondi Junction.
Police arrested the teen at the scene but were forced to barricade themselves inside the church for several hours “for his safety” after an estimated 2000 people descended on the church demanding retribution.
The morning after NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb declared the stabbing a terror attack that was religiously motivated.
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