Parishioners in a southern Louisiana Catholic church accosted and removed a suspicious-looking teenager armed with a gun as about 60 children readied themselves for their first Holy Communion service on Saturday, according to reports.
The Abbeville Police Department (APD) received the report at 10:35 a.m. from the St Mary Magdalen Church in Abbeville, Chief of Police Mike Hardy said in a Saturday press release. “The person was confronted by parishioners and escorted outside. Upon arrival, Officers arrested the suspect and placed him in custody.”
“The suspect, a 16 year old…is being charged with Terrorizing and 2 counts of Possession of a Firearm by a Juvenile,” Hardy added, according to the press release. The charges followed a police interrogation of the suspect in the presence of his parent and a psychological evaluation of the suspect at the Abbeville General Hospital Behavioral Unit, the press release noted.
No one was injured and police found no other threats after conducting a sweep of the parish premises with assistance from the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office (VPSO), according to the press release.
The incident was livestreamed, according to reports. A portion of the video of the full service aired by local outlet KADN News 15 captured the incident, showing parishioners distracted from the consecreation liturgy by what appeared to be children’s voices in the background, while someone quietly interrupted the officiating priest, appearing to inform him of the incident. The priest could be seen asking the parishioners to resume sitting, then leading them in Hail Marys as parishioners grabbed their children and officers entered the church, at which point the priest took cover behind the altar. (RELATED: Man Pulls Gun On Pastor Mid-Sermon, Chaos Ensues)
“So guys, just get ahold of your children, go slowly. We did apprehend a young man. He is in custody, he is in the police custody,” an amplified voice could be heard saying. “Calm down and just get next to your child, and go slowly.”
“We are thankful to God that a tragedy was avoided,” Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette said of the incident, according to Catholic News Agency. “Let us pray for an end to all threats of violence to innocent human life.”
It appeared that the children ended up receiving the sacrament once the commotion died down. “The joy that these kids experienced today upon receiving their First Communion is beyond words. Congratulations!” the church posted on Facebook.
“While we realize this was a frightening experience for those in attendance, we are incredibly grateful to both parishioners and police officers for acting quickly to ensure the safety of all,” the church said in a statement via the Catholic Diocese of Lafayette, NBC News reported. The church also thanked the law enforcement agents and parishioners for their swift response to the incident and added that uniformed law enforcement agents would guard its masses from then on, according to the outlet’s report.
Chief Hardy in his statement thanked Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) staff, VPSO deputies, and the church’s leaders and laity “for their quick response and remaining calm throughout this matter.” The incident remained under investigation, he added.
The incident comes on the heels of a livestreamed May 5 incident in Pennsylvania showing homicide suspect Bernard Polite attempting to shoot at a pastor in mid-sermon. The gun failed to fire. Polite faces homicide charges after police later discovered his cousin’s body in his apartment.