The 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.
Bernard Polite, 26, was slapped with the homicide charge late Tuesday after the body of his 56-year-old cousin, Derek Polite, was discovered in his North Braddock home 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.
During that ordeal, Polite was caught on the livestream calmly approaching pastor Glenn Germany and pointing the firearm at him as he delivered his sermon.
“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.
Just hours after hauling Polite away, police were alerted to the body in his home less than half a mile from the church.
“After witnessing reports of [the church] incident, family members of Derek Polite went to his residence in the 500 block of Stokes Avenue to check on his wellbeing and discovered him deceased inside,” police said in a statement.
“Through witness interviews, detectives learned Bernard Polite was seen pacing outside the residence the morning of May 5, and later a neighbor reported hearing a noise which could have been a gunshot at approximately 10:00 am.”
The bullet found inside the home matched the firearm seized by cops following the church ordeal, cops said.
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.
“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.”
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.
