Volunteers at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Nashville, Tennessee, found themselves embroiled in a tense standoff Saturday that culminated with gunfire, according to local reports.
The incident began as churchgoers prepared for evening mass, according to local outlet WSMV. “The volunteers were helping direct traffic for evening mass at the church when they saw the man walking his dog on Sunrise Avenue toward Nolensville Pike,” law enforcement explained, according to the outlet.
The confrontation took a dangerous turn when the man began shouting obscenities at the volunteers, WSMV reported. “While the suspect was in the road, he removed a holstered pistol which prompted one of the volunteers to take out his gun,” according to Fox affiliate WZTV.
The incident escalated further when the dog walker fired his weapon into the parking lot and a volunteer responded by firing a warning shot of his own into the ground, which appeared to frighten the assailant into fleeing, the outlet reported. The reason for the aggressor’s actions remains unclear, WZTV noted. (RELATED: ‘Stop Trying To Take Them Away’: Jeanine Pirro Unloads On Dem Governor’s ‘Ignorant’ Gun Ban)
May 20, 2024: As volunteers directed traffic for mass at a Nashville church, a man became confrontational with them, drew a gun, and fired a shot into the parking lot. A volunteer was also armed and fired a warning shot that sent the man fleeing.https://t.co/Y6kdXrYmqp
— Defensive Gun Use Tracker (@DailyDGU) May 23, 2024
Law enforcement is still searching for the suspect and believe he is still in the area “because he has been seen walking there on evenings before the incident,” according to WZTV.
