Panic ensued after a teenager armed with a rifle tried to storm a church in Louisiana through a back door. According to New York Post, the incident unfolded at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Abbeville, during which 60 children were making their First Holy Communion. As the ceremony was underway, parishioners, including parents with young children, spotted the 16-year-old carrying the rifle and swarmed him. They managed to hold him down outside until police arrived and arrested him.
The video of the incident captured on live stream showed that it happened about 48 minutes into the service. Seconds later, a man approached Nicholas Dupre, the church's associate pastor who was leading the service, and whispered something in his ear. Mr Dupre stopped what he was doing then told everyone to sit and started praying the Hail Mary. He was confronted by parishioners and escorted outside, where police later arrested him.
According to a St Mary Magdalen Catholic Church's Facebook post, ''a suspicious person opened the back door of the building". The church described the encounter as a "frightening experience" that "understandably caused a panic".
The suspect, identified as a 16-year-old male, was interviewed by officers with a guardian present after being taken to the Abbeville Police Department. After the interview, the juvenile was taken to a hospital to be evaluated.
''Officers with the Abbeville Police Department and Vermilion Parish Sheriff's Office made a sweep through the church to ensure there was no additional threat and confirmed that no one was injured. The suspect was transported to the Abbeville Police Department and questioned with his parent present. The suspect, a 16-year-old white male was interviewed by Officers and then transported to Abbeville General Hospital Behavioral Unit to be medically evaluated. He is being charged with Terrorizing and 2 counts of Possession of a Firearm by a Juvenile,'' Abbeville Police Department wrote in a statement on Facebook. Police also praised the quick-thinking bravery of the church congregation.
In the Facebook post, St Mary Magdalen thanked its parishioners and police for "acting quickly to ensure safety for all" and said uniformed police will be at all upcoming Masses "out of an abundance of caution".
The FBI is investigating the incident alongside Abbeville Police and the Vermilion Parish Sheriff's Office.
