Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jan 17, 2024 / 15:00 pm
The celebration of Mass at a southern California parish was interrupted by an armed police pursuit of a suspected gunman on Tuesday morning.
The incident occurred during the 8:30 a.m. Mass on Tuesday at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Placentia, Orange County, California.
As the priest was elevating the Eucharist just after the consecration, officers entered the sanctuary, shouting at a suspected gunman hiding among the attendees, according to reporting by local news station KCAL News. The incident was captured on the parish’s Mass livestream, though the video appears to have since been taken down.
Video excerpts taken from the Mass livestream by KCAL News show the priest raising the host and chalice, praying the words “Behold, the Lamb of God” as police begin shouting in the back of the church. The video shows the priest lower the host and parishioners raise their hands as the scene unfolds.