New information about the man who attempted to shoot a pastor in front of his congregation is being revealed. According to @cnn, just hours before attempting to kill the Pennsylvania pastor, Bernard Polite reportedly shot and killed his cousin at their home, according to police.
Polite, aged 26, is facing criminal homicide charges in the death of Derek Polite, aged 56, and is currently awaiting arraignment. Despite being cousins, the suspect frequently referred to Derek Polite as his “uncle,” stated Allegheny County Police Superintendent Christopher Kearns. The motive behind the killing still remains unclear. “There’s no indication there was any kind of disturbance in the residence. We saw no evidence that there was any type of altercation,” Kearns said. “It appears the victim was shot as he was walking up the steps from the first floor to the second.”
Ballistics testing confirmed that the gun used to kill Derek Polite was the same gun recovered on Sunday at the nearby Jesus’ Dwelling Place Church, where Bernard Polite aimed the gun at Pastor Glenn Germany’s face and attempted to fire, according to police.
However, the gun jammed, and a church deacon was able to subdue the gunman before he could shoot again. The pastor told CNN that he was stunned by how narrowly he avoided being shot in the head, considering that the same gun had been used to kill someone earlier that day.
“The gun worked in the incident (involving) shooting his cousin to death,” Germany said.
“When he came down to the church, it was the same gun. And he pulled that (trigger),” the pastor said. “I thank God that the gun jammed. The police officer showed us because he took the (bullet) out of the chamber. It was stuck in the chamber. You can see the dents in the bullet where it was stuck.”
Following the church deacon disarming the gunman, Pastor Germany subdued the suspect and expressed forgiveness before the police arrived and apprehended him on Sunday afternoon. Bernard Polite is charged with attempted criminal homicide, aggravated assault, and recklessly endangering another person in relation to the church incident, according to court records.