A Mass celebrating first communion for dozens of children at a south Louisiana church was interrupted Saturday when a 16-year-old boy walked in armed, the church and police said.
No one was injured during the incident in Abbeville at St. Mary Magdalene Church, during which a “suspicious person” opened the back door of the building while mass was taking place, the church said in a statement.
Parishioners immediately confronted the person, took him outside and called police, the church said in a message to its community. A group of about 60 second-graders were inside with their loved ones, preparing to receive the sacrament of First Communion, the church said in a statement Monday.
Authorities, responding to a call about a suspicious person carrying a gun, arrived at the church and took the teen into custody, according to the Abbeville Police Department. After being questioned at the police station with a parent present, the suspect was taken to a behavioral unit at the hospital to be medically evaluated, police said.
The teen was charged with “terrorizing” and two counts of possession of a firearm by a minor, police said.
The teenager was “dressed and armed suspiciously” when he entered the church foyer and was blocked from entering by parishioners after a woman noticed the teenager had a gun in his waistband, the Rev. Louis J. Richard said in Monday's statement -fair.
Richard said the teenager claimed “that he heard there was a disturbed person who was planning to come to this Mass to attack a priest” and that he “came to stop the attacker.” A CNN asked authorities about the allegation.
The potentially dangerous encounter comes just a week after a man walked into a Pennsylvania church service, pointed a gun at the pastor and pulled the trigger. The pastor was spared injuries when the gun jammed, and the man was restrained until the police arrived and arrested him.
In Louisiana, video of the service streamed online shows associate pastor Father Nicholas DuPré leading Mass when someone approached the altar and interrupted him mid-prayer to whisper in his ear.
Some parishioners in the front pews appeared worried and turned to look toward the back of the church, the video shows.
DuPré asked the congregation to sit down and join him in repeating the Hail Mary prayer several times as a group of parishioners moved along the center and front aisles of the church, often looking toward the back of the room, the video shows.
Once the suspect was detained, “police entered the church to make sure there was no additional danger,” the church message said. “This understandably caused panic.”
The video shows that parishioners began to get up from their seats and the priest, still praying, could no longer be heard over the sound of the crowd. An armed police officer in a bulletproof vest entered the back of the sanctuary while the priest and deacon ducked behind the altar. Altar boys ran through the sanctuary one after another.
As panic began to grip the crowd, someone announced over a public address system: “Just talk to your son. Go slow. We arrested a young man. He's in custody. … Calm down and stay close to your child and go slowly.
“While we realize this was a frightening experience for those in attendance, we are extremely grateful to the parishioners and law enforcement officers for acting quickly to ensure everyone’s safety,” the church statement said.
The church said it will have uniformed officers at all upcoming services “out of an abundance of caution,” the statement said.
Abbeville Police Chief Mike Hardy thanked the clergy and parishioners “for their quick response and the calm they maintained” throughout the ordeal.
The church said investigators are receiving assistance from the FBI. A CNN sought more information from police and the FBI.
A CNN also contacted St. Mary Magdalene Church for more information. A prayer was posted on the church's Facebook page on Sunday morning.
“Holy Spirit, comforter of hearts, heal the wounds of your people and transform brokenness into integrity,” the post said. “Grant us courage and wisdom, humility and grace, to act justly. Inspire wisdom in our prayers. Grant that all who are harmed by the threat of violence may find peace in justice.”
St. Mary Magdalene Parish was founded in 1842, according to the congregation's history, and the church, along with its rectory and cemetery, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Abbeville, in Vermilion Parish, is 21 miles southwest of
Source: CNN Brasil
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