ABBEVILLE, La. — Parishioners confronted a teenager Saturday after he arrived at a Louisiana church with a gun as families were gathered for a First Communion ceremony, according to police and church officials.
The incident began Saturday morning when a suspicious person opened a back door to St. Mary Magdalene Church in Abbeville, church officials said in a message shared Saturday with the community. They said the person was “immediately confronted by parishioners, escorted outside and the police were called.”
It happened around 10:35 a.m., police said. At the time, about 60 children were set to make their First Communion at the church, KADN-TV reported.
Liz Touchet, who attended the Mass, told the news station that “First Communion was proceeding as normal and then police came in with their guns drawn.”
“People started running to get their kids and we were told to get down,” she said.
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Video from the church showed someone approaching associate pastor Father Nicholas DuPré — who was leading Mass — mid-prayer and whispering in his ear, according to CNN. DuPré asked congregants to join him in reciting the Hail Mary prayer several times as parishioners glanced toward the back of the room, the news network reported.
“This understandably caused panic,” church officials said Saturday. “While we realize this was a frightening experience for those in attendance, we are incredibly grateful to both parishioners and police officers for acting quickly to ensure the safety of all.”
Police said a 16-year-old boy was arrested and later charged with terrorizing and two counts of possession of a firearm by a juvenile. He was taken to a hospital’s behavioral unit to be medically evaluated, authorities said.
No injuries were reported.
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In a statement obtained by KATC, Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel with the Diocese of Lafayette asked people to “pray for an end to all threats of violence to innocent human life.”
“We are thankful to God that a tragedy was avoided at the First Communion Mass for the children of St. Mary Magdalen in Abbeville,” the statement read. “The quick response of the Abbeville Police Department and alert parishioners is a great example of caring for the most vulnerable in our community.”
It was not immediately clear why the teenager showed up at the church with a gun.
The incident happened days after a man in Pennsylvania pointed a gun at a pastor as he was delivering a sermon at Jesus’ Dwelling Place Church in North Braddock. The gun jammed, and no injuries were reported.