CV NEWS FEED // Police interrupted the celebration of Mass at an Orange County parish on Tuesday after responding to a call alerting them to the possible presence of a gunman inside the church.
According to local reports, the Placentia Police Department received a call at 8:20 am alerting them to a gunshot nearby. A second call came in later from a witness who said he saw the gunman enter St. Joseph’s Church, which was livestreaming its celebration of morning Mass.
The video footage of the incident shows that the priest was in the process of consecrating the host when police officers entered the church, shouting at parishioners to get on the ground.
“I’m sorry but we have somebody that was firing a gun on church property,” one of the officers can be heard saying on the video.
Police found a man who matched the description of the suspect sitting in one of the back pews, but did not find a gun on his person. No one was injured, and the suspect was taken into custody.
Police officers were reportedly still interviewing the witness at around 11:30 am according to the reports.
Several schools in the area shut down as a precaution, including Valencia High School across the street from St. Joseph’s.
Police officers have yet to locate a firearm or evidence of a shooting.