Neither McCallister nor Germany had ever seen Polite before.
Following the incident at the church, authorities discovered a dead body inside Polite’s house, identified as Polite’s cousin, Derek Polite. The suspect has received several charges, including one count of criminal homicide.
Superintendent Christopher Kerns with the Allegheny County Police Department told the press that authorities believe the alleged murder took place Sunday morning before the attempted shooting at Jesus’ Dwelling Place Church. He also said that ballistic evidence showed the murder weapon to be the same gun that Polite pointed at Germany during the service.
CBS News reports that Germany said Polite apologized for trying to shoot him. The pastor said he forgave Polite but has not yet fully taken in what occurred. He mentioned that his 14-year-old daughter was at the church that afternoon.
“The thing that hurts me the most and brings tears to my eyes because I couldn’t watch my daughter break down,” said the pastor. “I still had to be strong, because I had to be strong for her, but I couldn’t take it, and just seeing her, that’s the part that’s hard for me to digest.”
