26-year-old Bernard Junior Polite was arrested after pointing a gun at Rev. Glenn Germany. Allegedly tells police, “God told me to do it”
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A Pennsylvania man allegedly tried to shoot a pastor during his service in Pennsylvania on May 5, and due to the gun not firing, a tragedy was averted as another parishioner and the pastor tackled the man to the ground.
According to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 26-year-old Bernard Junior Polite was arrested by Pennsylvania State Police after he allegedly fired a gun at Rev. Glenn Germany at Jesus’ Dwelling Place Church in North Braddock. Police stated that the suspect did so “because the spirits in his head told him to,” according to charges filed. The incident, which took place after 1 p.m., was viewed online as the service was being streamed live.
Polite is being held without bail at Allegheny County Jail and is facing several charges, including aggravated assault and attempted homicide.
As Rev. Germany was at the front of the church speaking to the congregation, Polite calmly walked into the frame and allegedly pointed the weapon at the pastor. Rev. Germany ran for cover behind the podium, as Polite continued to pursue the pastor, another man came from behind and brought Polite down and Germany joined the man in subduing the suspect and grabbed the gun from him. The men kept him on the ground as others came to gather and start talking to him.
According to a police complaint, Polite allegedly stated that “God told me to do it” and he planned on shooting the pastor and to be arrested “so he could go to jail and clear his mind.”
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WTAE spoke to Germany about the incident.
“I’m thankful to God that I’m still here because he definitely pulled the trigger,” said Germany. He said he never saw Polite until Sunday. He stated he noticed him going in and out of the church before he approached him.
“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, and he set up in the front corner of the church and smiled at me,” Germany said. “…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.”
Later that evening, police said that a body was discovered at Polite’s home. The man was found shot to death and was identified as Derek Polite, who was 56, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. Bernard has not been charged in connection with Derek’s death as the investigation of his death is ongoing.
More than $22 million in “Money Match” checks were mailed to nearly 100,000 Pennsylvanians, the treasury said.
In a news release on Thursday, the Pennsylvania Treasury said people should be on the lookout for the checks, which are part of the Pennsylvania Money Match program. Treasurer Stacy Garrity said to cash or deposit the checks “promptly.”
The first Pennsylvania Money Match checks, totaling more than $1.7 million, are now on the way to Pennsylvanians’ mailboxes. Pennsylvania Money Match is a new program that allows Treasury to return certain unclaimed property to rightful owners automatically, which was approved unanimously by the General Assembly and signed by the Governor last year.
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“I want Pennsylvanians to know that this is a real check, it is real money, and it belongs to them,” Garrity said in the news release. “And as always, I still encourage everyone to regularly search for unclaimed property online, as many claims will not qualify for the Money Match process.”
With the mailing of the year’s last batch of checks, more than $50 million will have been returned automatically to Pennsylvanians.
What are Money Match checks?
The program allows the state treasury to automatically return unclaimed property valued up to $500 owned by a single individual. Before the program was created in 2024, residents themselves had to seek out unclaimed property.
“I’m thrilled to continue this program as we work hard to get more money back to its rightful owners,” Garrity said in the news release.
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However, if the property has multiple owners or is valued higher than $500, Pennsylvanians still need to file a claim.
What is unclaimed property?
Unclaimed property includes dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks, forgotten stocks, rebates and insurance policies, among other things. It can also include the contents of abandoned safe deposit boxes.
According to the state treasury, more than one in 10 Pennsylvanians is owed some of the $5 billion in unclaimed property in the treasury’s care, and the average value of a claim is more than $1,000.
Unclaimed property scam
On its website, the state treasury has a warning about scammers using text messages to target potential unclaimed property claimants.
The department “never reaches out to people in regard to any program, including unclaimed property, via unsolicited text messages.”
A special weather statement was issued by the National Weather Service on Friday at 10:06 a.m. until 1 p.m. for Warren, McKean, Elk, Cameron, Clearfield, Cambria and Somerset counties.
“Temperatures will drop below the freezing mark through midday with rain showers quickly changing to snow showers. Blustery winds may dry off roads and other paved surfaces, but any residual water from previous rain or melting snow could freeze up and result in slick spots through the afternoon,” explains the weather service.
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