NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) – The pastor and pianist at a north Nashville church recounted the minutes when a person waved a gun throughout the Sunday worship service.
“I do not know the way I can clarify it, however I’m very grateful to God how he used us to the place nobody acquired damage,” Ezekiel Ndikumana, the pastor of the church, mentioned.
Pastor Ndikumana and Nzojibugami Noe mentioned all of it occurred on the level of the service at Nashville Mild Mission Pentecostal Church on Trinity Lane when individuals who wanted prayers had been requested to return to the entrance of the church.
“Whereas I used to be singing the refrain, I had my eyes closed, and once I had my eyes closed, that is once I heard the man standing proper there as a result of he acquired up fairly rapidly,” Noe mentioned. “He was waving the gun, waving the gun to the church and everybody else and telling some folks to maneuver or rise up. A few of them had been already down being able to be prayed for.”
Noe mentioned that is when his pastor stepped in.
“It jogged my memory of how David defeated Goliath,” Noe mentioned. “I’ll say that was energy God put into our pastor.”
He described the moments the pastor began taking steps earlier than taking the person with the gun down. Police recognized the person as 26-year-old Dezire Baganda.
“My pastor walked, took steps, stood proper right here for a bit of bit to see what he was doing, ensuring he wasn’t him,” Noe mentioned, describing Ezekiel Ndkiumanan’s actions. “Then he walked, took some extra steps, and made certain he was not him, after which he opened the door, pretending like he’s going out, after which he stored a watch on him.
Ndikumana then tackled Baganda to the bottom.
“As quickly as he noticed him, that he was not him, he went rapidly, pushed the chair after which he grabbed him, after which all of them fell on the bottom. That is when everybody else got here to assist him to verify he stayed down, and the gun was away from him.”
A Nashville pastor is a hero after he wrestled a gun away from a person who had come ahead to the church’s altar on the entrance and pointed it at these in attendance.
Ndikumana then tackled Baganda to the bottom.
“As quickly as he noticed him, that he was not him, he went rapidly, pushed the chair after which he grabbed him, after which all of them fell on the bottom. That is when everybody else got here to assist him to verify he stayed down, and the gun was away from him.”
Ndkiumana and different church members held Baganda on the bottom till police arrived.
“I used to be attempting to inform all people to filter out, to get out, as a result of it was not secure,” Noe mentioned.
“It was both die or seize him to the place he does not damage anyone wherein God used the grabbing him to not damage anyone,” Pastor Ndikumana mentioned.
Baganda was initially charged with 15 counts of felony aggravated assault. On Monday, police mentioned Baganda was now dealing with 57 counts of felony aggravated assault.
Baganda is not a stranger to the church. Noe mentioned Baganda visited the church in February and disrupted the service when he was there. Noe mentioned he by no means got here again to the church till Sunday.
“They warned him at first. They mentioned what you are doing shouldn’t be proper. You are interrupting the service,” Noe mentioned. “When he got here again yesterday, he appeared totally different trigger he had dreads earlier than, and he got here again with out dreads. He was calm. He was very calm. He was sitting the entire time, and we did not know he had anything deliberate.”
Noe mentioned he’s not afraid to return to church subsequent Sunday, anxious about one thing else occurring.
“I am not afraid. I am not nervous in any respect as a result of that is the place I have been coming to church, and I adore it right here, and I really feel very secure each time I come to church right here,” Noe mentioned.
It was a scary expertise Sunday, however Noe believes it led to one of the best ways, with everybody leaving church secure and unhurt.
“I might say that God gave us, everybody, energy to simply be calm and to not fear similar to the phrase of God we heard at the start of service,” Noe mentioned.
Whereas nobody was damage and no pictures had been fired, it is a day church members will always remember.
“We nonetheless have ideas as a result of we do not know the approaching future. We do not know if he got here by himself or if he has one other group on the skin,” Pastor Ndikumana mentioned.
The pastor mentioned he couldn’t inform if he’ll rent safety, however he plans to speak with different church leaders earlier than making that decision.
