The Denver-based Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church recently experienced two traumatizing events after an unknown gunman reportedly targeted and shot parts of its church building. The two shooting incidents happened on two different days, but both occurred early in the morning.
$75,000 Worth of Repairs for Church
The National Catholic Register recently interviewed Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church's Deacon Derrick Johnson regarding the two recent shootings in their church.
According to the church official, the Assumption Parish has to spend $75,000 to repair all the damages done by unknown suspect/s that shot the local church.
The Adams County Sheriff's Office, which is responsible for investigating the case, has not yet identified any suspect or suspects in the said crime. However, based on the security videos collected, it seemed like a single gunman did the shooting, using what the police believed was a pistol.
As reported, the first shooting incident at the church happened in the early morning of Saturday, Aug. 6. Deacon Johnson explained that the gunman shot the church three times; two bullets passed into the church's main door, and one was seen close to the stained glass in the door.
After nearly two days, on Monday, Aug. 8, parishioners of the Assumption Parish found another set of used bullets on the top part of the door, which reportedly damaged the protective layer of the door's stained glass. The church officials immediately gathered the bullets and sent them to the local police for investigation.
Fortunately, the school that is part of the Assumption Parish has not yet opened its facilities to students for this school year.
As described by Deacon Johnson, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church is already a 'very, very old parish.' Thus, any damages done to the church building require the congregation of a large amount for repairs.
Both shooting incidents reportedly happened after hours of service, which made Deacon Johnson think that the gunman's goal was to target the church building, not the parishioners.
Still, the deacon said they wanted their parishioners to be safe inside the church. He promised that they would do everything to ensure the safety of everyone by having "adequate camera coverage and lighting in front of the parish."
Praying for Suspect
Although Deacon Johnson has already expressed wanting to arrest the suspect behind the shootings, he said in the interview that he also wanted to pray for the perpetrator. He added that the parish is 'here for them' and they could help if needed.
"If there's any opportunity to speak to that person, we'd be happy to speak with them and have a dialogue," he said.
Assumption Parish in Denver
As per its website, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church in Denver, Colorado, has four pillars: teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayers. The church follows the teachings of the Our Lady of the Assumption.
Fr. Nick Larkin is the current priest at the local church. He was ordained in 2017 by Denver Archbishop Samuel Aquila.
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