Though the suspect was quickly neutralized, panic broke out when the suspect told police a second shooter was near the building.

Quick action by alert parishioners and local police are credited with averting a tragedy at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Abbeville, Louisiana yesterday.

As 60 children were preparing for their first communion, the parish located south of Lafayette, Louisiana reported that an armed “suspicious person opened the back door.” 

“The individual was immediately confronted by parishioners, escorted outside and the police were called,” the parish indicated in a statement….

… In an interview with the Acadiana Advocate, Abbeville Police Chief Mike Hardy credited parishioners for having disarmed the suspect and having him already pinned to the ground when police arrived.

A livestream video of the Mass captures the tense moments when presiding Father Nicholas DuPre was alerted to the situation. 

Though the suspect was quickly neutralized, panic broke out when the suspect told police a second shooter was near the building. That is when law enforcement entered the church to make sure there was no additional danger. No other suspect was found.