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- A man pulled a gun during Sunday service at a Tennessee church this weekend.
- But the church's pastor immediately tackled the gunman, disarming him and pinning him to the ground.
- Authorities said the pastor's "heroic actions … saved [the] church from further violence."
A Tennessee pastor's quick action prevented possible tragedy during a Nashville church service on Sunday.
The clergyman was leading a group of congregants in prayer at the altar when Dezire Baganda, 26, pulled a gun and approached the huddle, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said.
Surveillance footage from inside the Nashville Light Mission Pentecostal Church shows Baganda waving the weapon in the air while facing worshippers sitting in the church's pews. According to authorities, he told everyone to "get up" while pointing the gun at the congregation.
-The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) November 8, 2021
But in a matter of seconds, the church's pastor, Ezekiel Ndikumana, tackled the gunman from behind. The video shows the two men tumbling down the steps of the altar, where other churchgoers helped disarm Baganda and hold him to the ground until authorities arrived.
Several attendees fled the scene after watching Ndikumana take down Baganda, footage shows.
The pastor spoke with local news station WKRN.com following the incident.
"I would say that God used me because I felt like I was going to use the back door as an example as going on by trying to go behind him. And then I felt the feeling that I would go and grab him… and that's what happened," Ndikumana said via a translator.
"God wanted to show that he's a powerful God," he added. "One main thing I said, we had faith."
Authorities said the pastor's "heroic actions ... saved [the] church from further violence."
According to the police, Baganda was not a member of the church but had previously attended services there. He now faces 15 counts of felony aggravated assault, and multiple counts are expected to be added, police said.