Northeast

Pennsylvania pastor forgives gunman after attempted shooting during sermon: 'Grateful to God'

Published

2 years ago

May 9, 2024

Pennsylvania pastor forgives gunman after attempted shooting during sermon: 'Grateful to God'

A Pennsylvania pastor’s brush with death turned into a testament of faith and an opportunity to show forgiveness after an assailant’s gun jammed during an attempted mid-sermon attack on Sunday.

“I’m grateful to God because all it takes is one [bullet],” Glenn Germany, pastor at Jesus’ Dwelling Place Church in North Braddock, said Tuesday on “Fox & Friends.”

“I would not be with my family today, so I’m definitely grateful to God because he definitely had the upper hand on me because I did not see him coming.”

PENNSYLVANIA MAN AIMS GUN AT PASTOR IN CHURCH, INTERRUPTS SERMON ON VIDEO

Pennsylvania pastor Glenn Germany told Fox News that he forgave the attempted shooter who aimed a gun at him during his sermon on Sunday. (Fox & Friends/Screengrab)

Footage of the incident captured the suspect approaching the pulpit with a firearm pointed at Germany as he delivered his sermon. Germany quickly ran for cover as one of the church deacons tackled the gunman, eventually removing the weapon from his possession.

Court papers identified the suspect as 26-year-old Bernard Polite, who later confessed that he felt compelled to shoot Germany because “God told him to do it” and he wanted to go to jail to “clear his mind,” according to a local report.

Germany said he spoke to Polite after the incident and forgave him.

“I let him know that I forgave him,” he told co-host Steve Doocy. “When he was in the car, that’s when I let him know, ‘I forgive you, I love you, and my name is Glenn Germany, and I want you to remember my name in any way I can help you. I’d like to help you, man.’”

Germany said Polite told him about “the voices” inside his head during their conversation.

Court records show Polite faces charges of attempted homicide, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment. He was being held without bail at the Allegheny County Jail and is due back in court on May 13.

FATHER OF SLAIN CHRISTIAN COLLEGE STUDENT URGES FORGIVENESS AFTER DORM ROOM KILLING

A still image from the video captured at a Pennsylvania church shows a gunman pointing his weapon at Pastor Glenn Germany. The gun jammed, saving Germany’s life. (Fox & Friends/Screengrab)

Doocy asked Germany how he might tell the story of what happened 10 years down the line, but he insisted the focus should instead be on the word of God.

“It’s like when you go to school, you don’t want to talk about current events. When you come to church, we want to talk about the Bible. We want to teach people about the word of God, but my focus will be on the word of God and not current events,” he said.

The Allegheny County Police Department said separately that it has also launched a homicide investigation into a man’s death on Stokes Avenue. Public records show Polite has relatives on the street.

Fox News’ Michael Ruiz and Mitch Picasso contributed to this report.

Taylor Penley is an associate editor with Fox News.

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Pennsylvania

Face the State | Predicting Pennsylvania’s most contested primaries

Published

27 minutes ago

May 17, 2026

Press Room

Face the State | Predicting Pennsylvania’s most contested primaries

HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHP) — On a special episode of Face the State, host Joel D. Smith sits down with Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt ahead of Tuesday’s primaries.

Then, our panel of political insiders gives their predictions and analysis for some of Pennsylvania’s tightest races.

Watch more Face the State here.

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Rhode Island

Braden Lynch becomes first tennis champ from Lincoln in 38 years

Published

33 minutes ago

May 17, 2026

Press Room

Braden Lynch becomes first tennis champ from Lincoln in 38 years

PAWTUCKET – Sunday afternoon brought a breakthrough for Braden Lynch, the first boys tennis state singles champion from Lincoln in 38 years.

The sophomore was impressive throughout on the hardcourts at Slater Park, taking care of Bishop Hendricken standout Luca Testa in straight sets.

Lynch never appeared anything but comfortable under the warm sunshine and in front of the crowd gathered outside the fence, posting a 6-3, 6-2 triumph in 75 minutes. He became the first member of the Lions to lift the trophy since Tom Evans did the honors in 1988 and just the third sophomore to claim the crown in the last two decades.

“I’m proud to do it for my school,” Lynch said. “I’m proud to do it for myself. Proud to do it for my coaches, for my family – I’m just very proud right now.”

David Levy and Liam Levy took even less time to become the first boys doubles champions from East Greenwich, racing to a 6-4, 6-0 victory over the La Salle tandem of Gavin Britt and Connor Cavanagh. That match wrapped up while Lynch was taking full command against Testa, using multiple breaks of serve in the second set to build what turned out to be an insurmountable lead.

“Luca’s obviously a great player, so I knew I was going to have to play pretty much at my best if I was going to beat him,” Lynch said. “I ended up playing pretty well.

“I thought my forehand was able to dictate, and I was very happy with how I served throughout the match. I was able to keep that in mind.”

Lynch held at love to take the opening set and closed the match with what became a familiar sequence by the end of this one. He approached the net behind a forehand down the line and put away an overhead smash to clinch it. Lynch lived up to his No. 1 seed in the process and delivered on his own expectations entering the season.

“I definitely did think I could,” Lynch said. “That was in my mind from the start of the year – to be able to do this. It’s great to see it come to life.”

Testa needed three sets to eliminate North Kingstown’s Will Michaud in the quarterfinals before dropping just three games in his semifinal meeting with Barrington’s Gabe Anderson. Lynch traveled the more difficult path, beating South Kingstown’s Jonah Plonsky in straight sets in the quarterfinals before matching up with La Salle’s Andrew Smith in the semifinals. Lynch dropped the opening set to the defending champion before rallying to a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory.

“It definitely gave me a whole bunch of confidence,” Lynch said. “He’s obviously a great player with a huge serve. He has a huge wingspan. He’s hard to pass.

“I felt that I was able to play super well in that match, and that definitely gave me some confidence going into this one.”

Lynch was immediately penciled in as Lincoln’s top singles player as a freshman and lost to Smith in the quarterfinals. His offseason work included time in the gym and some sessions with a mental skills coach to sharpen his focus. Lynch joined Kyle Burke (South Kingstown, 2007) and Max Schmidhauser (Classical, 2018) among recent second-year winners of this event.

“It was a ton of work, to be honest,” Lynch said. “A lot of time on court. A lot of work in the gym, speed – pretty much doing everything you could think of to better my game.”

Levy and Levy were surprise finalists in 2024 as the No. 2 doubles team for the Avengers. Thet fell to Gabe Anderson and Bryce Kupperman in straight sets, as the Barrington duo put an end to a storybook run. Levy and Levy authored a different finish this time thanks to their steady play both from the baseline and at the net.

It had been more than 40 years since two brothers teamed up to win a doubles championship in the state. Gordie Ernst and Bobby Ernst were the last to do it from Cranston East, capturing three straight from 1983-85. The tournament format has since changed – Gordie Ernst was also a four-time state singles champion, and doubles entries are now based on the team ladder rather than a selection off the roster.

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On X: @BillKoch25

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Vermont

Best Vermont high schools for athletes? According to one study, these are top 25

Published

1 hour ago

May 17, 2026

Press Room

Best Vermont high schools for athletes? According to one study, these are top 25

Vermont is the home to several notable sports legends over the decades, from Susan Dunklee to David Ball to Albert Gutterson and beyond.

And that trend continues today, with high school athletes creating storylines across the state.

Which high schools in Vermont are considered the best for athletes in 2026?

According to a study conducted by Niche, which accounts for “reviews of athletics, number of state championships, student participation in athletics, and the number of sports offered at the school”—and data from the U.S. Department of Education—these are the top 25.