Last weekend (Nov. 7), pastor Ezekiel Ndikumana tackled a man with a loaded handgun who took the stage at Nashville Light Mission Pentecostal Church intent on shooting the congregants.
Nevertheless, the incident, which could have resulted in bloodshed and a tragic loss of life, didn’t stop the Nashville church from holding their worship gathering this past Sunday.
Ndikumana applauded those in attendance on Sunday, sharing that “God gave them the strength again to come back to our Sunday service this morning.”
Choir member Nzojibugami Noe shared with WKRN News what was going through his mind as the 26-year-old gunman, Dezire Beganda, began threatening the lives of his fellow congregants. Noe’s 911 call amid the commotion can be heard here.
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“I was scared that if [the police] don’t get here as quick as they could, you know, he might get more strength and then get up and try to get the gun again,” Noe shared.
Recalling the traumatic experience, Noe continued, “That day, mostly I was thinking about all the people that were in here, which is why when I was talking to the 911, I was like, ‘We need you as soon as we can.’”
“Even if something happens, I still have more people in my church that are still [coming] together to be with me throughout any kind of situation,” Noe said, referring to the fact that the church gathered for worship just days after Beganda’s failed attack.
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Explaining that it’s human-nature to be scared in situations like these, Nzojibugami said, “I was not scared or feeling fear at all, because I knew that it was where God protected me.”
In a police statement Beganda referred to himself as Jesus and said that all churches and schools need to be “shot up.”
Beganda has been ordered by a Judge to undergo a mental evaluation and will appear in court on December 7, 2021. His charges include 57 counts of felony aggravated assault.
Watch the WKRN News 2 interview with Noe and Nzojibugami below:
