Body Later Found at Home of Man Who Tried to Shoot Pastor is ID'd as Cousin of Suspect

Bernard Polite, 26, walked right into the Jesus’ Dwelling Place Church, pulled out a gun and attempted to shoot a pastor delivering a sermonPhoto byScreenshot: Youtube

A gunman who pulled a firearm on a Pennsylvania pastor during a livestreamed sermon has been charged with shooting his cousin to death just hours before the terrifying church saga unfolded.

Polite’s family made the horrifying discovery of his cousin’s murder after seeing the livestream.Photo byPennsylvania State Police

Bernard Junior Polite, 26, was charged with homicide late Tuesday after the body of his 56-year-old cousin, Derek Polite, was discovered in his North Braddock home on the 500 block of Stokes Avenue Sunday night.

Relatives made the grim discovery after going to the home to check on Derek after witnessing the horrifying video of Polite allegedly trying to shoot the pastor at the Jesus’ Dwelling Place Church earlier on Sunday, Allegheny County police said.

Neighbors were shocked to hear about the turn of events. They said Bernard and Derek were nice and there were never any issues.

"Nothing bad has ever happened in that home. There were no domestic violence, no fights, no argument that we know of that we could ever have heard," neighbor Guy Diperna said.

Polite approached pastor Glenn Germany as he delivered his sermon.Photo byKDKA.com

"I just hope it ain't Bernard, that's all, because he was a nice guy, and so was Derek," neighbor Benjamin Jordan said.

However, there are some witnesses interviewed by detectives said they saw the suspect "pacing outside the residence" the morning of the church incident, and a neighbor "reported hearing a noise which could have been a gunshot."

During that ordeal, Polite was caught on the livestream calmly approaching Rev. Glenn Germany during a sermon and pointing the firearm at him in a freightening turn of events.

“He pulled the gun; it clicked,” the pastor later told WPXI. “God jammed the gun so the bullet didn’t come out.”

Polite was eventually taken into custody after the pastor and the church’s deacon managed to pin him down until cops arrived. Court records show Polite was charged with criminal attempted homicide, aggravated assault and recklessly endangering another person.

Bernard Polite Magisterial Criminal Docket May 5Photo bydocumentcloud.org

Bernard Polite Magisterial Criminal Docket May 5Photo bydocumentcloud.org

In the wake of the church incident, the pastor said Polite had revealed to him 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.

The pastor praised God for protecting him.Photo byKDKA.com /ScreenGrab

“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.”

“I’m thankful to God that I’m still here because he definitely pulled the trigger,” Germany said. “I started to begin to preach and all of a sudden, from my left-hand side, I saw him move from the back to the front of the church, and he set up in the front corner of the church and smiled at me,” Germany said.

“…All of a sudden, I just saw a gun pointing right at me. And at that point, all I could try to do is run for cover.”

A churchgoer managed to tackle the gunman in the immediate aftermath.Photo byKDKA.com

A member of the congregation immediately grabbed him in a bid to subdue him and with the pastor’s help, one man even jumped to tackle Bernard; eventually, he was able to remove the gun from his hands. The North Braddock man was disarmed and held in place until police officers arrived.

“He could have lost his life in that struggle,” Germany said of the man who jumped in. “But he sacrificed himself for everyone, and he’s the hero.”

According to the criminal complaint, Bernard confessed to police that he tried to shoot Germany because, “God told him to do it,” and that he wanted to go to jail to clear his mind.

In addition to the homicide charge tied to his cousin’s slaying, Polite is charged with aggravated assault and attempted homicide over the church saga.

He is being held in the Allegheny County Jail and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for later this month for May 13, records show.

Attributes:

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