Gun goes off in Altoona church during Easter Vigil mass
Police say a man accidentally shot himself in his hand at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament
A man took a loaded handgun into Easter Vigil Mass at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, and accidentally set off the weapon in his hip pocket just before the closing hymn.
The firearm’s safety lock was apparently disengaged and the unidentified man’s pants evidently activated the gun when the man stood up in the pew of the Roman Catholic church, Altoona police officer Christy Heck told the Altoona Mirror.
The man was “beyond lucky” to escape with only slight injuries after the bullet grazed him and dug into the floor, Heck said, according to the newspaper.
Guns have no place in our Cathedral. Our churches must be an environment in which all feel safe to worhip the Lord.
Law enforcement officials have yet to file any charges in the incident related to the man’s legally carried handgun, but officials in the Altoona Police Department and the Blair County District Attorney’s office are investigating the matter, the newspaper reported.
Bishop Mark Bartchak, rector of the Cathedral, breathed a sigh of relief that nobody was seriously injured.
"Many people understandably have questions about what would prompt an individual to carry a gun into the Cathedral," Bishop Bartchak said in a statement released Monday by the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown. "I would like to take this opportunity to state my firm belief that guns have no place in our Cathedral or any of the other parishes in our Diocese. Our churches must be an environment in which all feel safe to worhip the Lord and celebrate our Catholic faith.
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