The congregation of about 25 parishioners at Jesus’ Dwelling Place Church in North Braddock, Pennsylvania, was in for a major surprise on Sunday, May 5, when a gunman, identified as 26-year-old Bernard Polite, disrupted the sermon by pulling out a firearm and aiming it at Pastor Glenn Germany. The shocking incident was captured on video via livestream.

While Pastor Germany was delivering his sermon, Polite emerged from the pews and approached the pastor with a gun in hand. In a chilling twist, when Polite fired the gun, it clicked but failed to discharge. Deacon Clarence McCallister was able to disarm Polite. Ultimately, no one was injured during the ordeal, The New York Post reported.

“He stood up and he smiled at me. And it was just a smile,” the pastor told 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.”

“He pulled the gun; it clicked,” Germany said “You heard him shoot it.”

“God jammed the gun so the bullet didn’t come out.”

“God had his hands on the pastor,” McCallister said. “He wasn’t letting him go nowhere.”

The pastor’s daughter, just 14 years old, was among the churchgoers witnessing the terrifying scene. Pastor Germany later expressed forgiveness towards Polite, who he believed was struggling with mental illness.

According to Germany, Polite told him in custody that he’d seen “spirits” in his mind telling him to open fire.

“He said, ‘The spirits were in my mind. They got in my mind and told me to shoot the pastor’,” Germany recalled.

“He actually apologized to me. I told him that ‘I forgive you and want you to know I love you,’ but yes, I definitely forgave him,” Germany said.

Polite, now facing multiple charges including aggravated assault and attempted homicide, was arrested and denied bail. The incident also prompted a police investigation that led to the discovery of a deceased man, identified as 56-year-old Derek Polite shot to death, at Polite’s residence. The relationship between the two Polites remains unclear, The Daily Mail reported.

Photo: KDKA screenshot, https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/pittsburgh-area-man-arrested-allegedly-trying-to-shoot-church-pastor/