A gunman who tried to shoot a pastor has been charged with killing his cousin hours earlier at the home they shared in Pennsylvania.
A gunman who was caught on livestream trying to shoot a pastor before being tackled down is accused of killing his cousin hours earlier.
Bernard Junior Polite, 26, interrupted a sermon at Jesus’ Dwelling Place Church on Sunday and pointed a gun at the pastor before a deacon dragged him to the ground. Cops arrested him on Sunday and that night discovered an unidentified man shot dead in Polite’s home.
The victim has now been named as Derek Polite, the gunman’s cousin.
‘We believe that the shooting death of Derek Polite occurred around 10 am, prior to the incident later on that afternoon at the church,’ said Allegheny Police Superintendent Christopher Kearns, according to WTAE.
After seeing the video of the terrifying moment at the church in North Braddock, Pennsylvania, Derek’s family went to check on him at the home that the cousins shared.
Bernard is believed to have fired one shot that killed Derek.
‘It appears the victim was shot while walking up the stairs from the first floor to the second floor,’ said Kearns on Tuesday.
Investigators have confirmed that the weapon used to murder Derek was the same one used at the church.
During the sermon, CCTV shows Bernard walking up to Pastor Glenn Germany and pulling the gun on him. The church’s deacon, Clarence McCallister, quickly grabs Bernard from behind and pins him to he ground, as the pastor emerges from a hiding spot and also tackles him.
McCallister manages to wrestle the gun away from Bernard, who is held down until cops arrive.
‘I’m thankful to God that I’m still here,’ Germany told WTAE at the time. ‘Because he definitely pulled the trigger.’
Germany expressed gratitude for the deacon’s actions, saying, ‘He could have lost his life in that struggle, but he sacrificed himself for everyone, and he’s the hero.’
Bernard’s motive for trying to kill the pastor and fatally shooting his cousin were not immediately known.
Germany recounted what Bernard told him regarding the church attack.
‘I said, “What made you do it?” I mean, “What were you thinking?”‘ Germany told Action News 4.
‘And he said, “I don’t know, it was just a thought in my mind, thoughts coming to your head you just do what the thoughts say.”‘
Court documents obtained by ABC6 stated that Bernard said ‘God told him to do it’.
Bernard has been charged with homicide in his cousin’s death.
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