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PA Man Pulls Gun on Pastor During Sermon Pastor: ‘I’m thankful to God that I’m still here’

Daniel Ritchie
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UPDATE: On August 5, 2025, Bernard Polite was sentenced to 15+ years in prison for crimes committed on May 5, 2024. He received five to 20 years for the attempted murder of Pastor Germany and also received 15-40 years for the murder of his cousin, Derek Polite.

A gunman in Pennsylvania has been arrested after pointing a gun at a pastor in the middle of his sermon.

Footage of Polite pointing gun at Pastor Germany / WTAE video screenshot

Pastor Glenn Germany was preaching Sunday (May 5) at Jesus’ Dwelling Place Church in North Braddock when Bernard Polite walked to the front of the sanctuary and aimed a gun directly at him. In video of the incident, Germany is seen ducking out of the way.

One of the church’s deacons, Clarence McCallister, is also seen leaping across the front of the church and tackling Polite. Both McCallister and Germany pinned down Polite and removed the gun from him until local police arrived.

“I’m thankful to God that I’m still here because he definitely pulled the trigger,” Germany said to WTAE. “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.” He said Polite smiled at him before raising his gun.

Pastor Glenn Germany / Video screenshot from WTAE

“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,” said Germany. “This guy was just dealing with spirits, he said, and he came in and wanted to shoot somebody. He said, ‘You ducked a taco today.’ That’s what he told me, and I guess that’s slang for ‘you ducked a bullet.’”

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The pastor said the hero of the whole incident is McCallister. “He could have lost his life in that struggle. But he sacrificed himself for everyone, and he’s the hero.”

Polite is facing a number of charges, including aggravated assault and attempted homicide.

When police went to Polite’s home Sunday evening, they found the body of a man who had been shot to death. The Alleghany County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the body as 56-year-old Derek Polite, whom neighbors say is a relative of Bernard.

Bernard Polite / Photo courtesy of Alleghany County

So far, there have been no charges filed in connection with the death of Derek Polite.