Surveillance video captured the moment a Tennessee pastor took down a gun-wielding suspect to the floor in the middle of a church service, possibly saving the lives of his parishioners.
Nashville police were called Sunday to the Nashville Light Mission Pentecostal Church amid reports of an gunman.
Surveillance video shows the suspect, identified by police as Dezire Baganda 26, sitting in front before he gets up and walks to the altar where the pastor was praying with several members.
Pastor Ezekiel Ndikumana tells NewsChannel5 in Nashville that the gunman “told the people to move or to get up while he was pointing the gun to everyone around here.”
“Ndikumana says he knew he needed to act in order to save lives by jumping on the gunman until police arrived.
"In this situation, by grabbing him it was either die or grab him to where he doesn't hurt anybody," he said.
Church leaders say the gunman stayed for the entire service — it was toward the end when they say he got up and waved his gun.
The pastor says he thanks God no one was hurt.
"I'm grateful, very grateful to God how he used us to where no one got hurt, and he was able to protect us through that way," Ndikumana said.
Church leaders said this isn't the first time the 26-year-old suspect visited the church. They say the last time was February where he tried to preach.
Baganda facing 57 counts of felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.”