Catholic priest Father Stephen Ugwu of Melville, Louisiana, was allegedly attacked by a machete-wielding assailant on a church campus, according to the sheriff’s office.
Johnny Dwayne Neely was charged with attempted second degree murder, hate crimes, home invasion and a bench warrant, St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office reportedly confirmed to KLFY. Authorities reportedly say he stated he “wanted to kill a black man today.”
“Because he stated what he came here to do, we charged him with a hate crime,” Melville Police Chief Phillip Lucas said. (RELATED: Canadian Black Lives Matter Leader Reportedly Charged With Hate Crime Against Catholics)
“We get to the corner, the cop had him handcuffed. And I see the chief, Mr. Phillip, assisting the Father. He was just dripping blood, and when I looked he had two or three gashes in his head. He was cut bad,” Melville resident Joshua Johnson said, according to the outlet.
Join me in praying for Father Stephen Ugwu in the Diocese of Lafayette. He was violently assaulted by a man w/ a machete who stated he “wanted to kill a Black man today.” https://t.co/7go9pj4ueC
— Father Josh Johnson (@frjoshjohnson) July 14, 2023
Witnesses tell KLFY they saw Neely approach Ugwu and ask for food, and when the priest denied, the 58-year-old suspect allegedly attacked him with a machete.
“They were both covered in blood, so we didn’t know what was going on. [My wife] came and got me, I came over here and noticed the guy had a very large machete and he was cutting at the priest,” another witness said.
Ugwu was taken to the hospital for lacerations to his head and body and is in stable condition, the church reportedly said in a news release.