Church Service Livestream Captures Terrifying Moment Gunman Pulls Trigger

A 26-year-old gunman faces charges after he attempted to shoot a pastor delivering a sermon at a church in Pennsylvania on Sunday, and the whole encounter was captured on a livestream of the service.

Bernard Junior Polite fired a gun at Rev. Glenn Germany during a livestreamed service inside the Jesus' Dwelling Place Church, but it jammed and didn't fire, according to a Pennsylvania State Police.

"I was just beginning my sermon and I saw the individual move from the back of the audience to the front of the audience," Germany said in an interview with Newsweek. "And at that point, he started to cross over the front pew area, and it wasn't alarming at first."

Germany said he did not recognize the man and assumed he was a visitor.

"He stopped and he pulled out the gun, and that's when everything from there got real," Germany said.

When Polite pulled the gun out, Germany said he quickly got out of the way.

"I didn't have time to really think, Germany said.

After the firearm jammed, Deacon Clarence McCallister tackled the gunman. Germany then helped to subdue and disarm Polite until police arrived.

Germany called McCallister "a true hero."

"By him reacting, it gave me the chance to come from behind the podium and help him out," Germany said.

Germany said he is still taking time to process the incident, but he is grateful to be alive.

"My faith has been strengthened and my trust in God has been strengthened," Germany said.

Polite had no direct connection to Germany or the church. But the pastor said the church's community involvement may have been a factor leading to the incident.

"We're really developing ties in the community and we're at a point where we're really helping people, and so I think that he wanted to stop me from doing that work," Germany said.

The Allegheny County Police Department told Newsweek they also responded to a report of a shooting on Sunday at Polite's home and found the dead body of 56-year-old Derek Polite. Police are investigating it as a homicide. No charges have been filed yet.

Germany said when he heard about the dead body found dead at the gunman's home, it made him see the attempted shooting in a new light.

"That's when the reality really sunk in that that gun was loaded, he pulled the trigger, you could've really died today," Germany said. "And it was only the grace of God that allowed that gun to jam and allowed you to live."