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SUFFOLK, Va. — A church leader in Suffolk says he tackled a man who fired a gun inside his church. That man is in now in custody following the incident at The Divine Church of Deliverance and Transformation Holiness Sunday afternoon, police said.
“Everything was going lovely,” said Chief Apostle Brian E. Outlaw, Sr. D.D. of the Divine Church of Deliverance and Transformation Holiness. “Next thing I know the young man walked into the pulpit and had a gun out.”
Outlaw jumped in.
“I went into active mode and grabbed the gun and wrestled the gun from him to make sure it wouldn’t go off in the congregation but it went off in the pulpit,” said Outlaw.
It was a scary moment for churchgoers, who’d been listening to some of the New Testament.
“When we pulled [the service] up on the Facebook [livestream] from home, my wife — she heard the shots — she said something happened at the church, so I jumped up and came running out here,” said Raymond Giles who had children and grandchildren inside the church.
“We came pulling down here, and saw squad cars and we realized it was the church outside the house,” said neighbors Angie and Larry Owen. “There are a lot of people in that church, you know, on a Sunday. So it’s pretty crowded. It stays crowded.”
As everyone made sure loved ones were okay, they told us what they saw happen.
A congregant who’d attended the church entered the building through a backdoor and sat in the crowd just after noon, bystanders said. Then, they said, he approached the podium with a gun. Police said the man had sought out a specific church staff member who was there.
“And when he pointed, the pastor jumped on him and put him to the ground,” said Giles.
Watch: Footage from scene of Suffolk church shooting
The gunfire didn’t hit anyone and the shooter was detained by people in the church until officers arrived, police say. We don’t know yet what started the ordeal.
Police took a man into custody in connection to the shooting.
Churchgoers gave thanks to God that no one was hurt.
“That’s the key right there. Everybody’s fine,” said Giles.
They finished the service and shared in a prayer.
Watch: Chief Apostle says to keep alleged church shooter in prayer
“Only thing I can say is we put the young man in prayer. Let’s keep the young man in prayer and let God intervene to give him strength. Whatever he’s going through, whatever he’s facing, asking God to give him strength. And strength in his family,” said Outlaw.
The shooting is under investigation. Police are asking anyone with information to call the Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.
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