A Texas man is in custody after bringing a weapon to a church with the intent to shoot the pastor.
Emmanuel Ahsono Mbwavi, 23, faces one count of unlawfully carrying a weapon, two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and one count of resisting arrest.
The incident occurred on March 15 at Eden Church in Houston.
According to police, Mbwavi entered the church with a loaded gun and 100 rounds of ammunition.
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The church’s security reportedly recognized Mbwavi from an encounter they had with him months prior, when they asked Mbwavi to leave the premises after he began passing out “concerning” flyers to church attendees.
Jared Darby, the church’s pastor, asked the security team to monitor Mbwavi. Mbwavi, who was wearing a backpack, followed Darby into the bathroom and could be seen entering and exiting the bathroom several times.
He then reportedly disappeared into the crowd.
Another member of the church’s staff reportedly confronted Mbwavi, at which point a member of the security team observed Mbwavi holding the grip of a pistol in his pocket.
The security team member said that Mbwavi sought to pull out the weapon but that it snagged on the fabric of his pants. The security team member then tackled Mbwavi, and others helped to restrain Mbwavi.
The gun in Mbwavi’s possession was a .22 caliber revolver with six live rounds.
In addition to the gun, the security team expressed concern that Mbwavi was allegedly counting down while holding his cell phone, and they were worried he could have an explosive device in his backpack.
